Trusting the People and the System. The Interrelation Between Interpersonal and Institutional Trust in Collective Action for Agri-Environmental Management

Agri-environmental schemes have been introduced in numerous countries to combat biodiversity loss in agrarian landscapes that are important for both food production and biodiversity. The successful operation of such schemes depends strongly upon trust between actors involved, as well as trust in ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2019-12, Vol.11 (24), p.7022
Main Authors: de Vries, Jasper R., van der Zee, Eva, Beunen, Raoul, Kat, Rianne, Feindt, Peter H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Biodiversity
Collective action
Common Agricultural Policy
Cooperation
Design
Environmental impact
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Farmers
Farms
Food production
Natural resource management
Participation
Sustainability
Trust
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Summary:Agri-environmental schemes have been introduced in numerous countries to combat biodiversity loss in agrarian landscapes that are important for both food production and biodiversity. The successful operation of such schemes depends strongly upon trust between actors involved, as well as trust in institutions that govern these schemes. However, the interplay between interpersonal and institutional trust in the context of collective action for agri-environmental management is not well understood. To address this question, we explore the case of agri-environmental management in the province of Drenthe (in The Netherlands), where a new policy model was implemented. This case shows how both institutional design and institutional performance critically influence trust dynamics. Under the old policy model, farmers struggled with auditing and control, which fostered mistrust and hampered collective action. Under the new model, a landscape approach, more responsibilities were delegated to farmers, and more room was created for interaction, which fostered trust both between actors and in institutions. Based on our findings, we conclude that institutional designs that reflect trust in the actors can foster interpersonal and institutional trust that, in turn, facilitates collective action. However, old arrangements can also create path dependencies that limit trust development and impede collective action for agri-environmental management.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su11247022