Gurney, Georgina

Georgina’s research interests lie broadly in understanding the factors that influence opportunities for collaborative management of marine common-pool natural resources (CPRs), and the multiple socioeconomic and environmental outcomes of such initiatives. My research has included examining how people’s involvement in collaborative CPR management is related to multi-scale socioeconomic and institutional factors, including individuals’ cooperative behavioural disposition. In relation to the outcomes of CPR management, my research has focused on: (1) evaluating the impacts of community-based CPR management projects on multiple dimensions of poverty, including whether those impacts are equitable according to social subgroups, such as gender; and (2) how to improve the design of marine protected areas to minimise trade-offs between livelihood, social equity and biodiversity outcomes. I have undertaken most of this research in the context of coral reef management in developing countries, particularly Indonesia, and tend to work closely with managers. I take an interdisciplinary approach to my research, drawing on theories and methods from a range of disciplines including social psychology, conservation planning, behavioural economics, and institutional analysis.