Trends in grassroots institutional evolution - a case from Joint Forest Management Programme, Haryana, India

Institutional development is the basis for evolving decentralized management and decision-making mechanisms at all levels of society. However, this evolution at the grassroots rarely follows a defined path. While the factors that propel evolution and development of grassroots institutions to meet specific goals have been identified, the precise manner in which each of these factors interacts and influences behaviour of individuals constituting institutions needs greater examination. The current study, which closely examines the evolutionary path of 15 institutions - Hill Resource Management Societies (HRMS) - under the Joint Forest Management Programme (JFM) in Haryana, adds to the existing knowledge on institutional development. The factors contributing to sustainability of JFM institutions to enable sustainable resource use and conservation have been analyzed and are presented in this study.