Analysis of the Resilience of Common-Pool Resources during Globalization: The Case of Jeju Common Ranches in Korea

Kyungmin Kim,Jeong-Gyu Kim,Seunghun Hyun,Juhee Kim,Kijong Cho

doi:10.3390/su10124346

Abstract

A common-pool resource (CPR) is a type of good consisting of a natural or human-made resource system. Jeju common ranches are historical CPRs located in Jeju Province where mid-mountainous grassland has been shared for livestock farming by the members of adjacent villages since the 10th century. Because of the recent globalization movement, the number of ranches has decreased from 126 in the 1940s to only 53 in 2015; while the majority of the ranches did not survive the transformation, others have remained active by adopting various solutions. In this study, we analyzed the administrative characteristics of the CPRs to explain their current status (i.e., extinction or continuance as a common property) using logistic regression analysis. From this analysis, four statistically meaningful variables were extracted using a forward stepwise selection method; these include the type of ranch management, ratio of land area to population, number of internal committees in the village, and number of local government grants. These variables correlate well with previously recognized ‘community resilience dimensions’ and can be used to explain the fate of the Jeju common ranches during the study period. This study elucidates what community dimensions should be fortified to promote the resilience of Jeju common ranches in order to effectively cope with the on-going effects of globalization.

Highlights

IntroductionResilience is defined as the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance without changing its major function and structure [1] even though the scale and characteristics of the ‘system’ may differ depending on the area of study
It was well documented that a Jeju common ranch is an extension of the state ranch system, which was initially formed during the Koryo Dynasty (918–1392) and retained during the Chosun Dynasty (1392–1910)
It can be concluded that, in accordance with the results reported by Magis [3], the type of ranch management reflects the degree of community member engagement with the community resources

Summary

Introduction

Resilience is defined as the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance without changing its major function and structure [1] even though the scale and characteristics of the ‘system’ may differ depending on the area of study. One path originated from ecology and focusses on the adaptive relationships in integrated social–ecological systems (SESs) in which the social and ecological components are coupled and interdependent; these studies are known as SES level studies. The other path originated from psychology in the areas of personal development and mental health in which a cognitive understanding of the adaptive capacity of people is pivotal; these studies focus on the identification and development of an individual’s ability to cope with disturbance and are known as individual level studies

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Conclusion