Collective action

It has become increasingly evident, however, that management of Great Lakes resources to provide sustainable benefits cannot be achieved by the cooperative action of governments alone. Despite admirable efforts carried out under the Canada/United States Water Quality Agreements, problems continue to persist and many important resources continue to be depleted both qualitatively and quantitatively. Collective action on the part of all users of the lakes will be required if the Great Lakes are to be restored and protected for the benefit of future generations. 

To facilitate the development of collective action plans (i.e. RBMPs) involving all stakeholders (industries, authorities, citizens and NGOs). 

Olson, M. 1971. The logic of collective action. Boston Harvard University Press. 

Wasik, J. E. (1993). The green supermarket shopping guide. New York, Warner Books. Widegren, Orjan. (1998). Environmentally friendly behaviour as collective action Some aspects of non-rational motivation. Tidsskrift for Samfunnsforskning 39(2) 231-258. 

Olson, M. (1971). The logic of collective action Public goods and the theory of groups. Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press. Weiner, J. L., and T. A. Doescher. (1991). A framework for promoting cooperation. Journal of Marketing 55 38-47. 

They think locally and act locally, but their collective action produces global behavior. Take the relationship between foraging and colony size. Harvester ants constantly adjust the number of ants actively foraging for food, based on a number of variables overall colony size (and thus mouths needed to be fed) amount of food stored in the nest amount of food available in the surrounding area even the presence of other colonies... 

WHO has formulated a four part framework to guide and coordinate collective action on access to essential medicines, namely,... 

WHO. Equitable access to essential medicines a framework for collective action. Geneva World Health Organization 2004. (WHO policy perspectives on medicines no 7 WHO/EDM/2004.4). 

Because of their significant public benefits, vaccines are subject to significant collective action problems (Olson 1965). Individual and collective risks and benefits... 

Olson, Mancur. 1965. The Logic of Collective Action. Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press. 

Patent buy-outs are controlled by the wealthy donor (a foundation or government) rather than the country wherein the potential patient resides. One collective action problem is avoided, but the target country lacks control over one important element of the health and safety of its citizens. Unless a global mechanism is created to buy out all global pharmaceutical IP for low- and medium-income populations, then the target countries will be dependent upon continued foreign charity. 

There is a saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Similarly, social historians often take it for given that hardship is the mother of revolt and other forms of collective action. Neither claim is obviously valid. What is true is that when people are... 

The Wobegonians face a collective action problem, albeit an unusual one. Each is tempted to go up on the roof or, in the later experiment, to look into the mirror. But if they all do that, the Flag unravels and there isn t anything to look at. To solve the problem, they resort to classical coordination techniques to impose a "no-look" rule, to take turns, to have a lottery. The first is not very satisfactory, since there is little point in forming a Flag nobody can see. The others ensure that some people can watch but not so many that there is nothing to watch. They demand, however, centralized coordination, backed by sanctions or at least by authority. In this chapter I discuss decentral-... 

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