Acceso usuarios
José António Ribeiro, Artur Cristóvão
For centuries an inseparable part of the organization of rural life in Galicia and in northern Portugal, the commonlands (Montes Veciñais en Man Común and Baldios, respectively) continue to play a significant role in the present day. However, as the rural world they belong to, they are now facing a number of threats and challenges. Drawing a comparison between the situations in Galicia and in the north of Portugal, this paper looks into the main historical determinants of the existence of the commons and aims to illustrate their present-day significance with reference to the collective action problem. Features related to the commoners' (veciños and compartes) characteristics and to the way they use their lands are analyzed in two cases (one in Galicia and one in the north of Portugal). It concludes summarizing differences and prevailing remarkable similarities between Galician and Portuguese commonlands and identifying constraints and opportunities to their current performance.
