Williams, Timothy O.2016-04-192016-04-191998ODI Natural Resource Perspectives No. 381356-9228http://hdl.handle.net/10919/66582Metadata only recordCommon pool resources such as rangeland, forests, fallow fields and ponds provide an array of social and economic benefits for a wide variety of users in semi-arid West Africa. However, poor definition and enforcement of the institutional arrangements governing the use of these resources sometimes lead to social conflicts and resource degradation. This paper examines why institutional arrangements are at times weak, and suggests what action can be taken.text/plainen-USIn CopyrightCommunity institutionsSemiarid zonesConflictCommon property resourcesRangelandsForestsSustainabilityNatural resource managementWest AfricaEcosystem Farm/Enterprise Scale GovernanceAbstractCopyright Overseas Development Institute 1998