Browsing by Author "Engler, Alejandra"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Collective Actions and Leadership Attributes: A Cluster Analysis of Water User Associations in Chile
    (2022) Bopp, Carlos; Engler, Alejandra; Jara-Rojas, Roberto; Hunecke, Claudia; Melo, Oscar
    Good leaders can greatly influence the effective governance of water resources, however, how their attributes relate to group cooperation in Water User Associations (WUAs) remains an open question. Using the case of Chile, we explore the factors of three non-cooperative behaviors in WUAs by performing a two-stage cluster analysis. The results describe four clusters that differ in structural and human characteristics, where highly cooperative WUAs are characterized by having presidents who dedicate more time to their duties, are more active in applying for governmental subsidies, are embedded in social organizations, have high levels of bridging social capital, and have a positive attitude toward the presidency. Our results add to the limited empirical knowledge about the role of leadership in fostering cooperation in the use of common-pool resources. This article sheds light on this matter as the results suggest that policy interventions should aim at strengthening social capital and providing incentives to increase the time dedication of presidents to the WUAs duties.
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    Do Sanitary, Phytosanitary, and Quality-related Standards Affect International Trade? Evidence from Chilean Fruit Exports
    (2014) Melo Contreras, Óscar; Engler, Alejandra; Nahuehual, Laura; Cofre, Gabriela; Barrena, José
    Increasing awareness of food safety issues has led to intensive use of sanitary, phytosanitary and quality-related regulations and standards, imposing a burden on exporting countries worldwide. This study assesses the impact of such regulations and standards estimating a gravity model for Chilean fresh fruit exports that incorporates a stringency-perception index that comprises different dimensions of trade requirements. Our results suggest that an increase in stringency has a negative and substantial effect on exported volumes, and the reduction is higher if stringency increases in developed countries. Results also showed that different dimensions have different effects on trade.
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    Farmers' Perceived Vulnerability and Proactive versus Reactive Climate Change Adaptation in Chile's Maule Region
    (MDPI, 2021) Engler, Alejandra; Rotman, Marieke L.; Poortvliet, P. Marijn
    Changes in climatic conditions are unavoidable and irreversible and an early and effective adaptation in farming systems will be vital for resilient agriculture. Although the extant literature has described factors that explain climate change adaptation, the roles of proactive versus reactive adaptation related to perceived vulnerability are still underexplored. The aim of our study was to open a new angle of discussion by linking farmers' perceptions of vulnerability with their adaptation response, and exploring the dynamic of such a relationship. Semi-structured interviews with farmers were held in the Maule Region of central Chile (n = 36). The interview included questions o about main agricultural challenges, perceptions of climate change and its impact, adaptation strategies, and perceptions of vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and ability to adapt. In order to interpret the interview data, a content analysis procedure was followed. The results indicate that farmers respond differently by either engaging in proactive or reactive adaptation behavior. Furthermore, the patterns of either proactive or reactive adaptation behavior can be explained by structural factors and social and human capital. While structural factors, such as production systems and financial capital, explain engaging in adaptation to climate change, social and human capital act as enhancing factors that explain proactive adaptation. Future policies on adaptation behavior should focus on promoting proactive forms of adaptation behavior by developing and enhancing social connections and access to information, as well as on the provision of financial schemes to enable efficient and effective adaptation within the agricultural sector.
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    From past behavior to intentions: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to explore noncompliance in small-scale fisheries
    (2023) Vallejos, B. Tomas; Engler, Alejandra; Nahuelhual, Laura; Gelcich, Stefan
    Noncompliance in fisheries is a multifaceted problem whose assessment requires insight into the drivers of human behavior. We adapted a socio-psychological model, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), to explore motivations for regulatory noncompliance in Chilean small-scale fisheries, using self-reported data from fishers. Results show that all components of the TPB, namely fishers' attitude (i.e., perceived benefits of noncompliance), perceived behavioral control (i.e., perceived skills to escape regulations) and subjective norms (i.e., perception of peers' acceptance or disapproval towards noncompliance), had a positive and significant direct effect on the noncompliance behavioral intention. Additionally, fisher's past behavior had a positive direct effect on their attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Our results highlight for example, the importance of working on attitudes towards the different transgressions in a differentiated manner. On the one hand, 'positive or favorable' attitudes towards size and closure regulations could be reinforced, while unfavorable attitudes towards quota transgression could be discouraged by using mixed strategies, which include those that can build legitimacy and establish more controls. We encourage further examination of specific drivers over multiple noncompliance behaviors in order to predict the extent of noncompliance behaviors in small-scale fisheries.
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    Governing Water Resource Allocation: Water User Association Characteristics and the Role of the State
    (2021) Engler, Alejandra; Melo Contreras, Óscar; Rodríguez, Francisca; Peñafiel, Bárbara; Jara Rojas, Roberto
    Water, as a common pool resource, is threatened by the possibility of overextraction generating a negative economic impact, conflicts among users, and greater income inequality. Scholars have discussed different governance approaches to deal with this threat, including centralized governance and self-governance, and lately, special attention has been paid to the interactions between formal institutions (the state) and local water user associations and how this promotes self-governance. The aim of this paper was to examine the adoption of Ostrom’s design principles present in the legal norms dictated in the Chilean Water Code by water user associations and to analyze the roles of their size, community homogeneity, and perceived water stress on adopting legal norms. The results showed that water communities generally follow the rules established in the Water Code, but the voting system, distribution of water, and fee payment are adjusted in small and homogenous water user associations. We can also conclude that a cornerstone in the system is implementing graduated sanctions, as water users see the tools provided by the Water Code as ineffective.
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    Irrigation water use, shadow values and productivity: Evidence from stochastic production frontiers in vineyards
    (2022) Bopp, Carlos; Jara-Rojas, Roberto; Bravo-Ureta, Boris; Engler, Alejandra
    Increasing agricultural water use efficiency has the potential to contribute significantly to hydrological sustainability and to coping with increasing water scarcity. This paper focuses on the role of the quantity of irrigation water applied and irrigation method used in explaining output in wine grape farms. We applied propensity score matching to reduce potential selection bias from observables that might mediate in the choice of irrigation system. Stochastic Production Frontier models are then estimated for a sample of 371 Chilean wine grape growers. The results show that pressurized irrigation leads to higher production at all levels of water applied; however, at lower levels the impact on TVP is more pronounced. Shadow values calculated at observed output for pressurized and gravity systems are 0.026 USD m- 3 and 0.033 USD m- 3, respectively. Significant differences are found between low (0.046 USDm-3), medium (0.027 USD m- 3) and high (0.018 USD m- 3) levels of water applied. The average technical efficiency for the sample is 70.4% and there is no significant difference between growers using pressurized and gravity methods. Our findings suggest that irrigation water can be saved without compromising output, which has important implications for sustainability given that agriculture is the most water demanding sector in the world.
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    Public attitudes and perceptions towards the ocean as an input for public policy
    (2024) Nahuelhual, Laura; von Below, Jonathan; Engler, Alejandra; Campos, Gonzalo; Bianchi, Javiera
    Amidst growing concerns about ocean health and the sustainability of coastal communities, understanding local perceptions and attitudes towards these issues is critical. This research addresses this gap by investigating the views of Chilean coastal communities, offering insights into their relationship with the ocean. We designed and distributed a nationwide online citizen consultation between January and May 2022, covering a range of topics from ocean health perceptions to the frequency of respondents' interaction with the ocean, from which 1221 responses were obtained from all 16 regions of Chile. The data was analyzed using factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) and cluster analysis. Five distinct clusters were identified, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of community perspectives on ocean-related issues. Cluster 1, comprising mainly middle-aged males, associates the ocean with power, mystery, and economic benefits, emphasizing biodiversity as a crucial indicator of ocean health. In Cluster 2, predominantly retired individuals above 60, engaged in contemplative ocean interactions, prioritize ocean cleanliness and identify overexploitation as a key concern. Cluster 3, composed mostly of females aged 30-60, finds emotional connections like calmness and hope in recreational ocean activities. Young females in Cluster 4, primarily university students, perceive a healthy ocean as pristine and endless and a damaged ocean as an unclean environment. Cluster 5, consisting mostly of coastal residents below 20, predominantly high school students, engage in ocean activities through consumption and contemplation, associating a healthy ocean with cleanliness despite minimal perceived benefits. Our findings highlight the multifaceted nature of human-ocean relationships, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions informed by these diverse perspectives.
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    What is behind water user satisfaction with irrigation organizations performance? An empirical analysis under different water scarcity conditions
    (2024) Bopp, Carlos; Engler, Alejandra; Jordan, Cristian; Jara-Rojas, Roberto
    The level of satisfaction of individuals within a community sharing a common pool resource is essential to strengthening collective actions. In the case of irrigation water, which is becoming a critical resource due to its declining availability in many regions worldwide, the satisfaction level in Water User Associations (WUAs) is not guaranteed and also varies across individuals within these organizations. This study analyzed the satisfaction of users in WUAs and identified organization- and user-level characteristics associated with it. Using a sample of 393 users of 20 WUAs from the Mediterranean portion of Chile, we performed confirmatory factor analysis, correlational analyses, and multilevel regressions. A composite indicator of user satisfaction showed significant correlations with the positive evaluation of the WUA staff performance, the effectiveness of monitoring and enforcement, and the confidence that other users do not withdraw more water than they are allocated. We also compared users' satisfaction levels from WUAs facing higher and lower water scarcity problems and found that user satisfaction is significantly higher in the latter case. The results of the multilevel econometric models show that in WUAs under higher water scarcity, user satisfaction is affected by several structural characteristics (water withdrawal mechanism and location along the canal) and users' human and social capital variables (experience, education, and participation in organizations); in contrast, in WUAs with a low level of scarcity, few covariates were significant while unobserved characteristics became more relevant (34 % of total variance explanation). Our study contributes to the existing literature on user satisfaction in community resource management, which could be useful to promote effective and cohesive governance structures as, ultimately, users determine cooperation rates and willingness to participate in WUA actions.