This paper conducts a case study of the emergence of the watershed management program in Turtle Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania to understand a process by which collective action among heterogeneous groups occurs. The case study is premised on the follo...
This paper conducts a case study of the emergence of the watershed management program in Turtle Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania to understand a process by which collective action among heterogeneous groups occurs. The case study is premised on the following three. First, watershed management is a collective process by which groups with differing policy concerns pursue shared interests under the social and ecological complexities. Second, the emergence of collective action relies on communicative action among a number of stakeholder groups and then followed their learning and voluntary coordination. Third, social and policy factors are influential in initiating collective action. This case study finds the ineffectiveness of regulatory policies, social network among local government officials, small-town politics, and the stability of local governments as crucial factors in initiating collective action.