Robustness and vulnerability of community irrigation systems: The case of the Taos valley acequias

• Published in: Journal of environmental economics and management Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 254 - 266
• Main Authors: Cox, Michael, Ross, Justin M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Inc 01.05.2011; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc
• Series: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
• Subjects: Acequias; Bewässerung; Collective action; Common-pool resources; Common-pool resources Social-ecological systems Acequias Irrigation Robustness Spatial analysis; Communities; crop production; Economic theory; Economics; Environmental economics; Estimation; Gemeingüter; Governance; Groundwater; Irrigation; irrigation systems; Natural resource management; Natural resources; New Mexico; policy analysis; Property rights; Regressionsanalyse; Robustness; Sachenrecht; Social–ecological systems; Spatial analysis; Statistical analysis; Studies; Urbanization; USA; Water management; Water resources; Waterways; United States > US; New Mexico; USA, New Mexico; Spatial analysis; Irrigation; Acequias; Robustness; Common-pool resources; Social–ecological systems
• ISSN: 0095-0696; 1096-0449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2010.10.004

Traditional economic and policy analysis theory has emphasized the implementation of private or public property rights regimes in order to sustainably manage natural resources. More recent work has challenged this approach by examining the strengths and weakness of common property governance of such resources. This paper contributes to this literature by analyzing the acequia irrigation communities in northern New Mexico. Through statistical analysis, we find that the acequias’ ability to maintain collective-action as estimated by a critical performance function, crop production, is aided by water sharing agreements and access to groundwater, and that it is hampered by property rights fragmentation and urbanization.