A key debate in the study on land, housing and natural resources revolves around the notion that general institutional forms (such as private, common, public, and likewise formal property rights) lead to a certain institutional performance (as may be expressed in terms of prices, transaction costs or sustainability). However, a modest, yet, growing stream in institutional analysis aims to move away from ‘merely describing the characteristics’ of institutions (i.e., form variables) to ‘performance or quality measures’ (i.e., function variables). Following this line of argument, the credibility thesis as put forward in this journal (Ho, 2014) postulates that the form of institutions is unrelated to their performance, and institutions are unintentional outcomes rather than designed artefacts. The primary goal of this research is to ascertain whether this dual prediction could be observed in a simulation model that is driven by agent behaviour and interaction, resulting in emerging institutions. We devise an empirically verified agent-based model within a classical thought experiment on a common property resource to validate the thesis’ predictions. First, our model confirms that different forms of institutions can have a similar performance. Second, we ascertain that successful institutions in difficult management situations can emerge (rather than being designed) that are beneficial for the sustainability of the common resource and the appropriators of that resource.@en

Mining causes severe adverse effects such as pollution and forced resettlement. Accordingly, it has prompted conflicts that are also evident in China. Our study assesses whether and how rural residents' engage in environmental activism (EA) against mining. This is achieved by constructing a model of EA strategies, coupled to variables that examine respondents' intentions. The model uses data from a survey (n = 352) covering 37 villages spread over 5 provinces and 1 provincial-level municipality. The model is based on a refinement of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Various findings are reported: (1) a majority of respondents (77%) believes that pollution in the mining areas is serious; (2) there is pessimism about the effects of EA with 41% believing it does not improve the environment, and less than one-fifth feeling the government supports EA, contradictorily; (3) well over half has engaged in one or more forms of EA, while (4) dominant EA strategies consist of complaining to local government or village authorities (both over 40%), or open protest (opted for by over 17%); (5) economic dependency and gender affect the intention for EA, as those employed in mining and women are less inclined to participate. Whereas studies pointed to "inclined abstainers" or the "silent majority", this study ascertains that-with regard to mining-rural residents are not silent. We posit that a threshold of environmental endurance might have been reached. In this context, policymakers need to tackle the adverse effects of mining, as it is likely to generate more violent confrontations that ultimately pose risks to political credibility and social stability.@en

On the basis that property rights provide effective incentives to their users, rights-based approaches have become well-received for purposes of improved resource management, production, and conservation. Recent reform in China's collective-owned forest sector has also been guided by a rights-based approach in generating new incentives and economic benefits for households. Forest property rights have been reconfigured into formal, private, and transferable form, and households are financially compensated for rights' attenuation. In this paper, we draw on a household survey (N = 331) and a series of interviews (N = 29) to empirically examine how three types of forest rights are exercised and perceived by rural households in the Wuling Mountain Area, a relatively poor and mountainous area in Southwest China. Our findings show that although the new rights arrangements are largely perceived as credible by households, the rights are rarely exercised, without tangible contributions to the intended benefits. In explaining this, we find that current economic values of household forests are low. This may suggest that rights-based approaches are unlikely to realize their intended effects if the natural resources themselves are of too little value, an oversight in conventional discussions on resource rights.@en

Whereas the prospective benefits of formalization programs are well-understood and received, less attention has been placed on the feasibility of such actions. This paper studies titling under China's Collective Forest Tenure Reform. We employ the Formal, Actual, and Targeted (FAT) Institutional Framework, based on the ‘credibility thesis’, to examine whether titling increases tenure credibility. To do so, we draw upon interviews and surveys collected in the Wuling Mountain Area (Southwest China), and compare formal policy objectives to households’ targeted (desired) preferences and actual forest rights. Our findings show divergences between formal and targeted versus actual rights. While titles were widely issued, socially supported, and farmers deemed boundaries and plot sizes clear, there is a paradox: (i) half of forest titles did not record boundaries; (ii) boundaries were not uniformly recorded; (iii) no on-site surveying had taken place; (iv) plot data were based on replicating older data, estimates, or averages; (v) titles had not been issued in contested areas; (vi) farmers had a weak legal understanding of ownership and lease rights. We argue that due to pressure from the central government to complete titling in five years, forest registration has emerged as an 'empty institution': an institutional compromise where spatial complexities were disregarded and neglected during implementation. Although seemingly credible at present, such outcomes of formalization bear the risk that future changes could easily dampen the reform's institutional efforts and intentions.@en

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