From market failures to collective action dilemmas: Reframing environmental governance challenges in Latin America and beyond

This introductory article to the special section “Collective Action and the Governance of the Commons in Latin America” has two main objectives. Firstly, to contrast two analytical frameworks for understanding and addressing environmental problems, namely market environmentalism and the institutional framework. We call for adopting a vision that conceives environmental problems basically as collective action dilemmas, instead of market failures. Secondly, to discuss current trends in experimental approaches to the study of collective action and summarize the main contributions of the special section to the growing literature in this field.