THE CONSEQUENCES OF POST-SOCIALIST TRANSITION AND DECENTRALIZATION FOR RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND PASTURE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA

This research paper examines the impact of post-socialist transition and decentralization on rural livelihoods and pasture land management in Mongolia during the 1990s. It argues that while formal political decentralization has occurred, a lack of administrative and fiscal autonomy has created an 'institutional vacuum' or 'de facto' decentralization. This environment, characterized by rising social inequality and a decline in pastoral mobility, poses significant threats to environmental sustainability and increases the vulnerability of poor herders to natural hazards.

• Mongolia exhibits a highly imbalanced pattern of decentralization, characterized by substantial but incomplete political decentralization, minimal administrative decentralization, and virtually no fiscal decentralization.
• The transition to a market economy led to a significant increase in the number of herding households, rising from approximately 17 per cent of the population around 1990 to about 35 per cent by the mid-1990s.
• A 'de facto' decentralization of pasture land management has occurred as the state retreated from direct regulation, leaving an institutional vacuum where rules for grazing access are often unclear and inconsistently applied by local governors.
• The decline in pastoral mobility, driven by the settlement of newer herding households near markets and social services, has led to an over-concentration of grazing pressure around settlements and roads, threatening environmental sustainability.
• Local governors (sum dargas) possess significant discretionary power to interpret the 1994 land law, leading to inconsistent resolution of disputes over winter camp sites and pastures, often favoring wealthier herders who can exercise informal influence.
• The lack of budgetary resources for sub-national governments to manage pastoral risks contributed to massive livestock losses during the consecutive dzud years of 1999/2000 and 2000/2001, totaling approximately 17 per cent of the national herd.
• Proposed amendments to the 1994 land law suggest introducing the possibility of transferring land possession rights through sale, which would create an open land market for the first time in Mongolia.

APA

Mearns, R. (2002). THE CONSEQUENCES OF POST-SOCIALIST TRANSITION AND DECENTRALIZATION FOR RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND PASTURE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA. World Resources Institute. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/eaa_decent_mearns.pdf

Chicago

Mearns, Robin. THE CONSEQUENCES OF POST-SOCIALIST TRANSITION AND DECENTRALIZATION FOR RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND PASTURE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA. World Resources Institute, 2002. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/eaa_decent_mearns.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mearns |first1=Robin |title=THE CONSEQUENCES OF POST-SOCIALIST TRANSITION AND DECENTRALIZATION FOR RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND PASTURE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=February 2002 |url=http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/eaa_decent_mearns.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mearns2002consequences, author = {Mearns, Robin}, title = {{THE CONSEQUENCES OF POST-SOCIALIST TRANSITION AND DECENTRALIZATION FOR RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND PASTURE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2002}, month = feb, url = {http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pdf/eaa_decent_mearns.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }