Doctoral Dissertation Research: Understanding the Role of Trust in Cooperating with Natural Resource Institutions

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

Natural resource issues are among the most important challenges facing the world today. In the United States, the U. S. Departments of Interior and Agriculture and state natural resources authorities are critical in addressing issues like water shortages and loss of biodiversity. Importantly, these institutions often lack the resources or legal jurisdiction necessary to require the public to act in more natural resource friendly ways, especially when private land is involved. In situations like these, it becomes essential that institutions develop the public trust necessary to encourage cooperation with their efforts. Researchers have identified six major reasons for this trust in natural resources institutions (e.g., trust in others generally, previous experiences with the institution, etc.); however, these reasons for trust in natural resource institutions have rarely been directly compared to identify which are most important for encouraging cooperation. Additionally, most research fails to test which reasons are most important for which "kinds" of people (e.g., people who know a lot about the issues or are particularly concerned about the environment, etc.). The current research will test the relationships between trust and intention to cooperate or actual cooperation behaviors in two samples of land owners. The first sample will involve a large representative sample of land owners with more than 20 acres of rural land in Nebraska who will be asked about their willingness to cooperate with a Nebraska natural resources effort by granting access to their land for conservation. The second sample will include Nebraska land owners who are being asked specifically to cooperate with a Nebraska prairie restoration effort and who will then be followed to identify whether they actually do cooperate. The results of these surveys will help improve the interaction of institutions and the public in meeting natural resource challenges.