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This study combines information provided by anthropologists on the structure of share contracts in the cocoa industry in Ghana with a well-known economic theory of share tenancy. The goal is to explain some of the efficiency characteristics of the observed contracts and the predominance of specific labour contracts in various regions in Ghana. The following types of contract are dicussed: the "Abusa" and the "Nkotokuano" contracts (both share contracts), the daily labourer and contract labourer (wage) contracts, and the dual rate contract. The fundamental idea was that risk and transaction costs are important in determining the structure of a labour contract in the cocoa industry in Ghana. (Documentatiebald/ASC Leiden)

AbstractThis article examines the evolution of economic theory to explain the emergence and maintenance of cooperation among users of local commons. The conventional view that "free riding" prevents cooperative solutions to the commons dilemma is challenged under new theories rooted in evolutionary paradigm and the institutional matrix within which individuals find themselves. Contrary to the prediction of the conventional view, modern evolutionary theories provide ample empirical and theoretical evidence in support of a community's ability to self‐organize to preserve the local commons.