View source for File:Anderies etal(2004) FrameworkAnalyzeRobustnessSocialEcoloicalSystem.pdf

What makes social-ecological systems (SESs) robust? In this paper, we look at the institutional
configurations that affect the interactions among resources, resource users, public infrastructure providers, and 
public infrastructures. We propose a framework that helps identify potential vulnerabilities of SESs to disturbances. 
All the links between components of this framework can fail and thereby reduce the robustness of the system. We 
posit that the link between resource users and public infrastructure providers is a key variable affecting the 
robustness of SESs that has frequently been ignored in the past. We illustrate the problems caused by a disruption in
this link. We then briefly describe the design principles originally developed for robust common-pool resource
institutions, because they appear to be a good starting point for the development of design principles for more
general SESs and do include the link between resource users and public infrastructure providers.