Nexus between property rights, institutions and resource management: A review

The nexus between property rights, institutions and resource management is inadequatelyexplored in the literature. Hence, this study reviews the extant literature to answer thequestion: How can governments balance development with environmental protection? Theaimis to improve understanding of property rights, institutions and resource management. It usesaqualitative approach, a cross-sectional study and secondary data. The study reassessespolicy documents, and land, forestry, fisheries, and water management case studies. Inaddition, it synthesises theoretical and empirical perspectives. By so doing, gaps within the propertyrights policy are exposed. The study further shows that property rights have their institutionsand policies, which dictate the management of resources in the environment. Thepaperconcludes that property rights play different roles in directing who can and cannot exploitresources and environmental interventions, including conservation and the distributionof thebenefits of the ecosystem. The paper recommends to governments that protectingtheenvironment and resources requires integrated environmental policy to ensure environmentalsustainability and economic prosperity.