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Environmental Management

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01-03-2015

Local Knowledge, Science, and Institutional Change: The Case of Desertification Control in Northern China

Author: Lihua Yang

Published in: Environmental Management | Issue 3/2015

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Abstract

This article studies the influence of local knowledge on the impact of science on institutional change in ecological and environmental management. Based on an empirical study on desertification control in 12 counties in north China, the study found the following major results: (1) although there was a cubic relationship between the extent and effect of local knowledge, local knowledge significantly influenced the impact of science on institutional change; (2) local knowledge took effect mainly through affecting formal laws and regulations, major actors, and methods of desertification control in institutional change but had no significant impact on the types of property rights; and (3) local knowledge enhanced the impact of science on the results of desertification control through affecting the impact of science on institutional change. These findings provide a reference for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners, both in China and in other regions of the world, to further explore the influence of local knowledge on the impact of science on institutional change and the roles of local knowledge or knowledge in institutional change and governance.

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Title: Local Knowledge, Science, and Institutional Change: The Case of Desertification Control in Northern China
Author: Lihua Yang
Publication date: 01-03-2015
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Environmental Management / Issue 3/2015
Print ISSN: 0364-152X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0418-4

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