Siid Podcast Series

How do people in rural areas in the global south access water and land – essential resources for their livelihoods? And how do institutions work to shape natural resource management and development? This is the ongoing focus of Frances Cleaver’s research. For the last two decades or so there has been a strong emphasis on ‘getting institutions right’ in development policy. Robust and adaptable institutions are thought to contribute to good governance and democracy through a focus on pubic debate, and through mechanisms for accountability and transparency. They are also thought to deliver sustainability by ensuring appropriate and responsible local resource use. A lot of money and effort has been spent by governments and development agencies in building strong institutions at the local level – including Water User Associations, Farmer Groups, Forest Management Committees and the like. But the evidence for the success of these initiatives is mixed and critics say that such arrangements often reproduce pow