Email: tamkim232@gmail.com

Affiliation: Department of Anthropology, VNU-USSH

Nationality: Vietnamese

Once by custom, now by law: a way to understand the process of interaction between the common-pool resources management institutions in Vietnam's northern uplands

Abstract

This study focuses on common property theory and anthropological perspective dealing with the various forms of common-pool resources (CPRs) management institutions, especially the local collective rules, and the institutional change and interaction in Vietnam's northern uplands. It also aims to explore specific forms of commons and how they exist in a post-socialist system where a liberal market economy coexists with and is ruled by a strong single-party state.

This study was based on in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in Trinh Tuong Commune, Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province since 2023. This field study is located in remote mountainous regions populated by ethnic groups (mainly Dao and Hmong people) strongly dependent on natural resources for their agricultural livelihoods and have a long history and experiences in self-governance resources. I employed a range of tools for data collection such as deep immersion, participant observation, interview, listing, and review of secondary documents.

In the context of Anthropocene, research and policy debates on natural resource management have largely focused on identifying the set of institutions that govern, protect and maintain resource sustainability (Clement 2013). While Hardin argued that state management and privatization are the only effective tools to govern the common-pool resources (Hardin 1968), commons scholars have proved that there were plenty of successful self-governance models or community management. To find the most effective solution to the tragedy of the commons, a large number of scholars have aimed to identify general principles to create an institutional model that can be applied to many different contexts (Ostrom 1990; Wade 1994; Baland and Platteau 1996; Agrawal 2003). However, the ambition to generalize the results comes up against empirical realities as it is impossible to have a general or common institutional model to solve the common-pool resources problem. In later publications, Ostrom agreed that "human is more than rational" (Ostrom 2008), which means that the rational choice of people in the institutional approach is important, but it is not enough to explain the human's choice and strategy in all cases. Some common scholars in anthropological approach have pointed out that the importance of contextual factors to the effectiveness of local self-governance institutions is increasingly recognized in the commons' literature (Agrawal 2003; Clement 2013), which is rarely considered on a macro scale. Their empirical case studies at the micro level show that the same institutional arrangement can succeed in one context and fail in another (Acheson 2006).

Focusing on the common forest and irrigation resources, my hypothesis is that after the Reform (1986), there was a great institutional change in CPRs access and management due to the strong establishment of State power, which led to the "collision" between two kinds of governance institutions which are the local custom and rules and the State law and policies. Borrowing the metaphor of "bundle" of Ostrom to describe the bundle of rules and institutions that exist in the local CPRs management, this paper wants to shed light on the negotiation and accommodating between different management systems shown in the particular circumstance. Finally, this approach also brings in-depth qualitative data to contribute to a better understanding of the complex social institutions and collective actions that govern CPRs in Vietnam.

Bio

Phan Thị Kim Tâm is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Hanoi (USSH). She received her MA and BA both in Anthropology at USSH. Tam's main research interests are ethnic minority communities, local knowledge and the management of rice landraces, the State-population-market nexus, adaptation strategies to climate-related hazards, and currently the "commons" issue/common-pool resources management in Vietnam. She has practical experience in many ethnic minority areas in Vietnam and has extensive knowledge and understanding of Vietnamese society and culture. Not only collecting data for her studies and work, but she also expanded her research area to other mountainous areas of North Vietnam to understand better the lifestyles and development trends of ethnic minorities in upland areas. The deep ethnographic data collection, and the relationship and affection of local people in the area she has visited for the past 6 years show her proficiency in doing field research. Since her undergraduate program, she has been working as a research associate and junior research fellow in multiple research projects of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), conducted various long ethnographical fieldwork in Vietnam's northern mountainous area and mainly studied Thai, Red Yao, and Tay communities.