Bangkok--29 Aug--AIT
Faculty member of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Prof. Ganesh P. Shivakoti, has co-authored a book with Nobel laureate Ms. Elinor Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel prize in Economics. The book, titled “Improving Irrigation in Asia,” which has just been released, is based on a two-decade long study on innovative interventions for sustained performance of irrigation systems.
Co-authored by Prof. Elinor Ostrom; Mr. Wai Fung Lam of the University of Hong Kong; Mr. Prachanda Pradhan, Patron, Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems (FMIS) Promotion Trust, Nepal; and Prof. Ganesh P. Shivakoti; the book has been published by Edward Elgar publishing.
The book identifies key factors that help explain the performance of interventions, apart from enumerating lessons for resource management and development assistance. Speaking about the publication, Prof. Shivakoti of AIT’s School of Environment, Development and Resources (SERD) stated that for achieving a sustainable improvement in performance, it is the farmers themselves who need to engage in collective action. “There is need to support local entrepreneurs who provide leadership and stimulate adjustments to change,” he said.
The book provides practical policy solutions, making it a good resource for academics and scholars of development studies, resource management, and irrigation studies; apart from development specialists in international agencies, policymakers in governments and international donor agencies, Prof. Sivakoti adds.
This is not the first publication of Prof. Shivakoti with Prof. Ostrom. Prof. Shivakoti has also co-authored “Asian Irrigation in Transition — Responding to Challenges” with Prof. Ostrom, which was published by Sage Publication in 2005. During his post doctorate in 1992, Prof. Sivakoti participated in a workshop in “Political Theory and Political Analysis” at Indiana University, where Prof. Ostrom was the co director. This resulted in a monogram published jointly by Prof. Shivakoti and Prof.Ostrom titled "Institutions, Incentives, and Irrigation in Nepal”. They also have two other joint publications, apart from a book by Prof. Shivakoti, where Prof. Ostrom has contributed a chapter.
Photo caption: Prof. Ganesh P. Shivakoti