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Governability of Fisheries and Aquaculture pp 131–153Cite as

Applying the Governability Concept in Fisheries – Explorations from South Asia

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Part of the book series: MARE Publication Series ((MARE,volume 7))

Abstract

This chapter investigates the variations in governability that occur in fisheries systems. It builds upon the notion that diversity, complexity, dynamics, and scale affect the performance of societal systems profoundly, and that these effects emerge at the level of their three components. Variations in the governability of systems-to-be-governed are examined through a chain approach. Theories of legal pluralism, institutional nestedness and adaptability are subsequently applied to assess the governability of governing systems. Finally, governing interactions are considered through the lens of three ideal-typical modes – self-governance, hierarchical governance and co-governance. The many variations of governability are illustrated with cases from the capture fisheries of South India. The central message is that connections between the components of a fisheries system matter and that a better match may result in higher levels of governability.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Gibson et al. (1998) provide a useful overview of the use of scale in the social sciences. They define scale simply as “the dimension used in any effort to measure a phenomenon”, and distinguish three basic types: space, time and quantity (Gibson et al. 1998, 6). In this chapter we highlight the implications of spatial scale. Johnson (2006) discusses facets of scale with regard to fisheries.

  2. 2.

    The fact that one setting is capable of delivering illustrations of almost the full set of governability options raises important questions regarding societal coherence. Is Tamil Nadu a particularly chaotic fisheries setting? Could other settings provide a similarly broad range of examples? We are inclined to believe that most fisheries settings, if investigated carefully, actually contain a large variety of governability arrangements, not dissimilar to Tamil Nadu. We must also point out, however, that the fisheries of Tamil Nadu may actually be more structured than this array of examples suggest.

  3. 3.

    See, for example, Bavinck (2005), Jentoft et al. (2009), Wiber and Kearney (1996), and Wylie (1989).

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Acknowledgements

This chapter has benefitted greatly from the comments provided by Derek Johnson, to whom thanks are due.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Maarten Bavinck

  2. Centre for Maritime Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jan Kooiman

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  1. Maarten Bavinck
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Correspondence to Maarten Bavinck .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Plantage Muidergracht 14, Amsterdam, 1018 TV, Netherlands

    Maarten Bavinck

  2. , Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Main Office: SN2012, St. John's, A1B 3X9, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

    Ratana Chuenpagdee

  3. , Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø, Office A 378, Tromsø, 9037, Norway

    Svein Jentoft

  4. , Centre for Maritime Research, Erasmus University, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, Amsterdam, 1018 VZ, Netherlands

    Jan Kooiman

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Bavinck, M., Kooiman, J. (2013). Applying the Governability Concept in Fisheries – Explorations from South Asia. In: Bavinck, M., Chuenpagdee, R., Jentoft, S., Kooiman, J. (eds) Governability of Fisheries and Aquaculture. MARE Publication Series, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6107-0_8

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