Abstract
Pastoralism is one of the traditional livelihoods of Monpa community that resides in western Arunachal Pradesh, India. They have been rearing yaks, an integral part of their culture and tradition, and managing summer and winter pasture lands as commons for grazing, However, the Monpa’s yak‑based livelihood is facing challenges as the number of villagers engaged in grazing related activities is reducing and the composition of livestock in the area is changing. To understand the reasons for these changes and its impact, an open‑ended questionnaire was used to interview herders, members of traditional village institutions and village panchayats, and elderly villagers who have been closely involved with grazing practices. We find that the priority and accountability of contemporary village institutions have shifted from managing local, natural resource‑based livelihoods to implementing government programmes for the socioeconomic development of locals. The presence of institutional mechanisms, with rules and regulations, is a prerequisite for the sustainable resource governance of commons. But this study finds that the outcome can be counter‑productive to the community’s interest if the objectives and priorities of institutions change and no one holds them accountable.
Recommended Citation
Dutta, Pijush Kumar
(2025)
"Shifting Grounds of Accountability: How Governmentality Reduces the Commoning Practices of the Monpa Community in Arunachal Pradesh,"
Journal of Law and Public Policy: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://repository.nls.ac.in/jlpp/vol9/iss1/6