A Framework for Defining and Analyzing Agrarian Governance

The problem of adequate understanding and evaluation of the system of agrarian governance is among the most topical academic and practical tasks. The goal of the article is to adapt the interdisciplinary New Institutional Economics and to propose an adequate definition and framework for analyzing the system of agrarian governance in Bulgaria. Based on a critical analysis of research and practical experience, it is underlined that agrarian governance is to be studied as a complex system, including four principle components: agrarian and related agents involved in management decision-making; rules, forms and mechanisms that govern the behavior, activities and relationships of agrarian agents; processes and activities related to making governing decisions; a specific social order resulting from the governing process and functioning of the system. The analysis of agrarian governance should include the individual elements of the system, different levels of governance and the main functional areas of agrarian governance, for each of which adequate quantitative or qualitative methods from the institutional approach are suggested. The assessment must take into account the personal characteristics of agents, the institutional environment, transaction costs, the comparative effectiveness of alternative structures, and the “time factor”.