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Beyond prices: The cultural economy of water in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon, Philippines

Beyond prices: The cultural economy of water in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon,... This paper analyses how the economic actions of water distribution and exchange are embedded in the culture of indigenous communities in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon, Philippines. Such actions are fundamental to water access and provisioning. Data was derived from a series of focus group discussions conducted with various water users, including households, farmers, enterprises and local government officials, and from upstream, midstream and downstream communities along the Balili River, a critical watershed in the Cordillera highlands. The study area exhibits a mix of livelihood systems and both formal and traditional institutions of decision‐making. Recognising that water is both an economic and social good, this paper draws inspiration from Polanyi's concept of embeddedness. Cases of three communities suggest that water distribution and exchange are embedded in the community's socio‐cultural spaces, but the extent of embeddedness declines as communities transform from subsistence to market‐based economies. Embeddedness also determines value and availability of water. The paper contributes to the discourse on the cultural economy of water and provides direction on new modes of decision‐making on river management that promise more inclusive, equitable and ecologically sustainable outcomes. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Asia Pacific Viewpoint Wiley

Beyond prices: The cultural economy of water in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon, Philippines

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References (35)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2016 Victoria University of Wellington and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
ISSN
1360-7456
eISSN
1467-8373
DOI
10.1111/apv.12126
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper analyses how the economic actions of water distribution and exchange are embedded in the culture of indigenous communities in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon, Philippines. Such actions are fundamental to water access and provisioning. Data was derived from a series of focus group discussions conducted with various water users, including households, farmers, enterprises and local government officials, and from upstream, midstream and downstream communities along the Balili River, a critical watershed in the Cordillera highlands. The study area exhibits a mix of livelihood systems and both formal and traditional institutions of decision‐making. Recognising that water is both an economic and social good, this paper draws inspiration from Polanyi's concept of embeddedness. Cases of three communities suggest that water distribution and exchange are embedded in the community's socio‐cultural spaces, but the extent of embeddedness declines as communities transform from subsistence to market‐based economies. Embeddedness also determines value and availability of water. The paper contributes to the discourse on the cultural economy of water and provides direction on new modes of decision‐making on river management that promise more inclusive, equitable and ecologically sustainable outcomes.

Journal

Asia Pacific ViewpointWiley

Published: Aug 1, 2016

Keywords: ; ;

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