Ecological interdependencies and resource competition: The role of information and communication in promoting effective collaboration in complex management situations.

Communication between resource users has repeatedly been shown to be of significant importance in environmental management. The proposed causal mechanisms are numerous, ranging from the ability of users to share information to their ability to negotiate solutions to common problems and dilemmas. However, what is less known is under what conditions these potential causal mechanisms are important and if, in cases when different means other than communication were available, whether they would be more effective in accomplishing these objectives. An example of such an alternative could be that instead of (or in addition to) users being reliant on within-group communication to acquire useful information an intermediary - such as a public agency - could provide that for them. Furthermore, the different causal mechanisms making communication beneficial might not be independent, neither in respect to each other, nor in respect to other externally imposed means to facilitate better environmental management, and not in regards to different contextual factors. This study makes use of laboratory experiments in an innovative way to explore these questions and specifically test the relative importance of communication in managing complex social-ecological system characterized by common-pool resource dilemmas, ecological interdependencies, and asymmetric resource access – all characteristics being present simultaneously. We find that when resources users are confronted with such a complex challenge, the ability to communicate significantly increases individual and group performance. What is more surprising is the negative effect on overall outcomes that providing external information has on outcomes, when the users also have the ability to communicate. By analysing the content of the conversations we are able to suggest several possible explanations on how the combination of external information provisioning and user communications act to increase individual cognitive load and drives intra-group competition, leading to a significant reduction of individual and group outcomes.

Behavioural experimental results, per round for the different treatments. All messages are coded (see published paper)

已有多项实证研究证实，资源使用者之间的沟通在环境治理领域具有至关重要的作用。现有研究提出的因果机制（causal mechanism）种类繁多，既包括使用者共享信息的能力，也涵盖其针对共同问题与困境协商解决方案的能力。
然而，目前学界仍未明确的是：这些潜在因果机制在何种条件下才能发挥效用；且当存在沟通之外的其他替代手段时，后者是否能更高效地实现上述治理目标。此类替代方案的一个典型例子是：资源使用者无需（或不仅需）依赖群体内部沟通来获取有效信息，而是可以借助公共机构等中介主体来获取相关信息。
进一步而言，支撑沟通发挥治理效益的各类因果机制之间或许并非相互独立——既可能彼此存在关联，也可能与其他用于优化环境治理的外部赋能手段存在关联，同时还会受到不同情境因素的影响。
本研究以创新方式运用实验室实验探究上述问题，并专门检验沟通在治理兼具公共池资源（common-pool resource）困境、生态相互依存性以及资源获取不对称性特征的复杂社会生态系统（social-ecological system）中的相对重要性——上述特征会同时存在于该类系统中。
研究结果显示，当资源使用者面临此类复杂治理挑战时，沟通能力可显著提升个体与群体的治理绩效。更令人意外的是，若使用者同时具备沟通能力，外部信息供给反而会对整体治理结果产生负面影响。
通过分析沟通内容，我们可提出若干潜在解释：外部信息供给与使用者沟通的结合，会加剧个体认知负荷并引发群体内竞争，最终显著降低个体与群体的治理成果。
不同实验处理组每一轮次的行为实验结果如下。所有沟通内容均已完成编码（详见已发表论文）。