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Publius: The Journal of Federalism 1997 27(1):1-14;
© 1997 by CSF Associates Inc.
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Institutions, Ideology, and the Tragedy of the Commons: West Texas Groundwater Policy

Mark Somma
California State University-Fresno

West Texas is the setting for an unintended experiment in commons resource management. Dispersed, autonomous, local groundwater districts use nonregulatory strategies to promote conservation and groundwater quality. The central force driving this organizational form appears to be ideological. West Texans seek alternatives to state management of groundwater pumping. This study uses key-informant interviews to evaluate the strength of ideology in explaining West Texas groundwater policy and to provide a theoretical framework for discussing the importance of the "local solution.’ Time-series data substantiate the claim that local groundwater districts succeed in slowing depletion rates.


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