Forest Management: Field Experimental Study from the Czech and Slovak Republic
Abstract: Different forest property regimes based on individual, collective or state ownership co-exist in various countries as a result of their institutional evolution in the past. The government regulation of forest management goes across all property right structures. Empirical studies and theoretical discussions try to reveal sustainable forest property regimes that would balance both use and protection over time. The aim of the paper is to complement this research agenda by comparing the behaviour of owners within an individual property regime and owners within a common property regime. The comparison is done via field experiment within which players express their preferences toward harvesting of a hypothetical forest. The experiment was carried out in two post-socialist countries – the Czech and Slovak Republic. The results of the experiment revealed the higher sustainability of owners within common property regimes which has been proven by numerous scholars. The research also highlighted the importance of communication and informal rules between stakeholders and agents concerning the management of a common pool resource.
