Factors influencing "Collective Action" and "Co-operation"

Quoting Albert Einstein :-

"Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondarily on institutions such as courts of justice and police"

In the light of this beautiful thought and basic understanding being developed in class can we ponder upon following issues in Rural Context

1. Which Institutions discourage opportunistic behavior and encourage cooperation?
2. What are the key learnings from past attempts of "Collective action and Co-operation?
3. In war-torn countries like Sudan can "CAC" be developed as way out for removing age long suffering? If yes, possible steps one may think of for beginning.
4. What are the characteristics of the individuals involved that determine degree to which they cooperate?

Sharda Gautam [28042]

Web Resources

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action

XXXI Indian Social Science Congress on People's Struggles and Movements for Equitable Society:
http://sndt.digitaluniversity.ac/downloads/XXXI%20Abstracts%20Part%201%20page%201-189.pdf

Collective action notes:
http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/2379/index.html

Stories of Collective Action

Theories of collective action from the point view of the disciplines of economics, sociology, political science and psychology are many. However, the actual practices of collective action cuts across all the discipline. Let us explore them.

The flesh and bone of collective action

Collective action as a strategy seeks nonmarket solutions the problems faced by individual or society. In this sense, how far collective action is an appropriate strategy for poverty reduction is an important question, especially in an era when the state tends to leave the welfare concerns to non-state actors. What are the views from poor people themselves? Do the poor people in their quest to sheild themselves from poverty, resort to self-protection methods compared to communitarian methods? This famous Scott-Popkin controversy seeks real-world solutions.