From conflict to co‐operation: some design issues for local collective action institutions in cities

Abstract This paper presents a discussion on some design principles of local collective action institutions, using a case study from India. Various potential conflicts in the functioning of such institutions are explored. Does group homogeneity and social capital foster collective action? This is explored using female literacy rate in the neighbourhood. The regression results suggest that individual characteristics may be more important than group homogeneity to explain whether an individual joins a collective action organization. An exploration of conjectures from Koremanos et al. study of design of international organizations to the context of local collective action suggests some differences and a need for further exploration. It appears that local collective action institutions can be better designed by ‘thinking globally’. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.