Hita Unnikrishnan
Biographic Data
| ID | 2411337 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hita Unnikrishnan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hita |
| FAMILY NAME | Unnikrishnan |
| SIGNATURE | UNNIKRISHNAN H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Azim Premji University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4298-4939 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 47 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Toward Making Power More Explicit in the Iadf
In commons and institutional research, the Institutional Analysis and Development framework (IADF) has proven itself as a useful tool to investigate the complexities of social-environmental systems. It is effective in guiding researchers through the process of understanding complex problem situations. The framework helps to conceptually unravel the institutional scaffoldings structuring human-nature interactions. Yet, a long-standing critique of …
Beyond the Binary
Designing contextually relevant policies for the sustainable governance of social‐ecological systems hinges on an accurate understanding of how social systems are structured and organized through institutions, that is, the set(s) of formal and informal rules that shape human behavior. When researchers only consider either formal (e.g., written law) or informal (e.g., norms) rules, without acknowledging or accounting for the full diversity of rule…
The Problem of Institutional Fit
Complex social-ecological contexts play an important role in shaping the types of institutions that groups use to manage resources, and the effectiveness of those institutions in achieving social and environmental objectives. This is partly because large numbers of potentially influential variables and non-linearities confound traditional statistical methods. Here we use boosted decision trees – one of a growing portfolio of machine learning tool…
A systems perspective on water markets
Garrick, Dustin; Balasubramanya, Soumya; Beresford, Melissa; Wutich, Amber; Gilson, Gina G; Jorgensen, Isabel; Brozovic, Nicholas; Cox, Michael; Dai, Xiaoping; Erfurth, Sophie; Rimšaitė, Renata; Svensson, Jesper; Jones, Julia Talbot; Unnikrishnan, Hita; Wight, Charles; Villamayor Tomás, Sergio; Mendoza, Karla Vazquez
Unpacking dynamics of diverse nested resource systems through a diagnostic approach
The social–ecological systems (SES) framework (Ostrom 2009, Science. 325(5939):419–22) typologically decomposes SES characteristics into nested, tiered constituent variables. Yet, aligning the framework’s concepts of resource system (RS) and resource unit (RU) with realities of individual case studies poses challenges if the underlying SES is not a single RS, but a mid to large-scale nested RS (NRS). Using a diagnostic approach, we describe NRSs—…
Redefining the role of urban studies Early Career Academics in the post-Covid-19 university
We are an international collective of Early Career Academics (ECAs) who met throughout 2020 to explore the implications of COVID-19 on precarious academics. With this intervention, our aims are to voice commonly shared experiences and concerns and to reflect on the extent to which the pandemic offers opportunities to redefine Higher Education and research institutions, in a context of ongoing precarity and funding cuts. Specifically, we explore a…
Drivers of compliance monitoring in forest commons
Building climate resilient cities in the global South
Planning discourse deeply influences urban responses to climate change, particularly within the context of the global south. This article examines urban climate action plans developed by 13 Indian cities to understand the different scenarios that shape policies and visions of urban governance, using discourse analysis. We find that the urban climate action agenda in India needs greater definitional clarity. Most plans require better contextual en…
Walk the Pipeline
Walking reveals how urban infrastructure lends identity to the urban landscape. This article focuses on the oldest water pipeline in the city of Bengaluru, India. A series of vignettes trace the linear trajectory of the walk both in terms of the spatial orientation of the pipeline, and its trajectory through time. Through space, the pipeline connects the centre of the city with its suburbs, tracking differential and sometimes invisible patterns o…
Advancing understanding of natural resource governance
Water governance and the colonial urban project
This paper uses the example of a lost urban lake – the Dharmambudhi within the south Indian city of Bengaluru to illustrate the profound and long-standing effects of historical socio-technical infrastructural change. We demonstrate processes by which capitalist urban development and notions of the sanitary city in the nineteenth century led to the collapse of the lake system and its conversion into a bus station. We also show how by removing the …
Traditional water bodies and urban resilience
Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality
Qualitative methods are important to gain a deep understanding of complex problems and poorly researched areas. They can be particularly useful to help explain underlying conservation problems. However, the significance in choosing and justifying appropriate methodological frameworks in conservation studies should be given more attention to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately. We explain when, why, and how qualitative methods sho…
Contested urban commons
Urban expansion is a global phenomenon during which many common spaces, often with complex histories of governance and stewardships become redefined within prevailing notions of urbanity. However, such commons often pose challenges that result in conflict with respect to their use, management, and ownership. In this paper, we use the example of a lake in the South Indian megapolis of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to look at different changing no…
Advancing understanding of natural resource governance
Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality
Qualitative methods are important to gain a deep understanding of complex problems and poorly researched areas. They can be particularly useful to help explain underlying conservation problems. However, the significance in choosing and justifying appropriate methodological frameworks in conservation studies should be given more attention to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately. We explain when, why, and how qualitative methods sho…
Water governance and the colonial urban project
This paper uses the example of a lost urban lake – the Dharmambudhi within the south Indian city of Bengaluru to illustrate the profound and long-standing effects of historical socio-technical infrastructural change. We demonstrate processes by which capitalist urban development and notions of the sanitary city in the nineteenth century led to the collapse of the lake system and its conversion into a bus station. We also show how by removing the …
Contested urban commons
Urban expansion is a global phenomenon during which many common spaces, often with complex histories of governance and stewardships become redefined within prevailing notions of urbanity. However, such commons often pose challenges that result in conflict with respect to their use, management, and ownership. In this paper, we use the example of a lake in the South Indian megapolis of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to look at different changing no…
Redefining the role of urban studies Early Career Academics in the post-Covid-19 university
We are an international collective of Early Career Academics (ECAs) who met throughout 2020 to explore the implications of COVID-19 on precarious academics. With this intervention, our aims are to voice commonly shared experiences and concerns and to reflect on the extent to which the pandemic offers opportunities to redefine Higher Education and research institutions, in a context of ongoing precarity and funding cuts. Specifically, we explore a…
Building climate resilient cities in the global South
Planning discourse deeply influences urban responses to climate change, particularly within the context of the global south. This article examines urban climate action plans developed by 13 Indian cities to understand the different scenarios that shape policies and visions of urban governance, using discourse analysis. We find that the urban climate action agenda in India needs greater definitional clarity. Most plans require better contextual en…
Unpacking dynamics of diverse nested resource systems through a diagnostic approach
The social–ecological systems (SES) framework (Ostrom 2009, Science. 325(5939):419–22) typologically decomposes SES characteristics into nested, tiered constituent variables. Yet, aligning the framework’s concepts of resource system (RS) and resource unit (RU) with realities of individual case studies poses challenges if the underlying SES is not a single RS, but a mid to large-scale nested RS (NRS). Using a diagnostic approach, we describe NRSs—…
Traditional water bodies and urban resilience
Drivers of compliance monitoring in forest commons
Walk the Pipeline
Walking reveals how urban infrastructure lends identity to the urban landscape. This article focuses on the oldest water pipeline in the city of Bengaluru, India. A series of vignettes trace the linear trajectory of the walk both in terms of the spatial orientation of the pipeline, and its trajectory through time. Through space, the pipeline connects the centre of the city with its suburbs, tracking differential and sometimes invisible patterns o…
Contested urban commons
Urban expansion is a global phenomenon during which many common spaces, often with complex histories of governance and stewardships become redefined within prevailing notions of urbanity. However, such commons often pose challenges that result in conflict with respect to their use, management, and ownership. In this paper, we use the example of a lake in the South Indian megapolis of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to look at different changing no…
Traditional water bodies and urban resilience
Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality
Qualitative methods are important to gain a deep understanding of complex problems and poorly researched areas. They can be particularly useful to help explain underlying conservation problems. However, the significance in choosing and justifying appropriate methodological frameworks in conservation studies should be given more attention to ensure data are collected and analysed appropriately. We explain when, why, and how qualitative methods sho…
Advancing understanding of natural resource governance
Water governance and the colonial urban project
This paper uses the example of a lost urban lake – the Dharmambudhi within the south Indian city of Bengaluru to illustrate the profound and long-standing effects of historical socio-technical infrastructural change. We demonstrate processes by which capitalist urban development and notions of the sanitary city in the nineteenth century led to the collapse of the lake system and its conversion into a bus station. We also show how by removing the …
Drivers of compliance monitoring in forest commons
Building climate resilient cities in the global South
Planning discourse deeply influences urban responses to climate change, particularly within the context of the global south. This article examines urban climate action plans developed by 13 Indian cities to understand the different scenarios that shape policies and visions of urban governance, using discourse analysis. We find that the urban climate action agenda in India needs greater definitional clarity. Most plans require better contextual en…
Walk the Pipeline
Walking reveals how urban infrastructure lends identity to the urban landscape. This article focuses on the oldest water pipeline in the city of Bengaluru, India. A series of vignettes trace the linear trajectory of the walk both in terms of the spatial orientation of the pipeline, and its trajectory through time. Through space, the pipeline connects the centre of the city with its suburbs, tracking differential and sometimes invisible patterns o…
Redefining the role of urban studies Early Career Academics in the post-Covid-19 university
We are an international collective of Early Career Academics (ECAs) who met throughout 2020 to explore the implications of COVID-19 on precarious academics. With this intervention, our aims are to voice commonly shared experiences and concerns and to reflect on the extent to which the pandemic offers opportunities to redefine Higher Education and research institutions, in a context of ongoing precarity and funding cuts. Specifically, we explore a…
A systems perspective on water markets
Garrick, Dustin; Balasubramanya, Soumya; Beresford, Melissa; Wutich, Amber; Gilson, Gina G; Jorgensen, Isabel; Brozovic, Nicholas; Cox, Michael; Dai, Xiaoping; Erfurth, Sophie; Rimšaitė, Renata; Svensson, Jesper; Jones, Julia Talbot; Unnikrishnan, Hita; Wight, Charles; Villamayor Tomás, Sergio; Mendoza, Karla Vazquez
Unpacking dynamics of diverse nested resource systems through a diagnostic approach
The social–ecological systems (SES) framework (Ostrom 2009, Science. 325(5939):419–22) typologically decomposes SES characteristics into nested, tiered constituent variables. Yet, aligning the framework’s concepts of resource system (RS) and resource unit (RU) with realities of individual case studies poses challenges if the underlying SES is not a single RS, but a mid to large-scale nested RS (NRS). Using a diagnostic approach, we describe NRSs—…
The Problem of Institutional Fit
Complex social-ecological contexts play an important role in shaping the types of institutions that groups use to manage resources, and the effectiveness of those institutions in achieving social and environmental objectives. This is partly because large numbers of potentially influential variables and non-linearities confound traditional statistical methods. Here we use boosted decision trees – one of a growing portfolio of machine learning tool…
Toward Making Power More Explicit in the Iadf
In commons and institutional research, the Institutional Analysis and Development framework (IADF) has proven itself as a useful tool to investigate the complexities of social-environmental systems. It is effective in guiding researchers through the process of understanding complex problem situations. The framework helps to conceptually unravel the institutional scaffoldings structuring human-nature interactions. Yet, a long-standing critique of …
Beyond the Binary
Designing contextually relevant policies for the sustainable governance of social‐ecological systems hinges on an accurate understanding of how social systems are structured and organized through institutions, that is, the set(s) of formal and informal rules that shape human behavior. When researchers only consider either formal (e.g., written law) or informal (e.g., norms) rules, without acknowledging or accounting for the full diversity of rule…
Geography (10 works) · Environmental resource management (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Ecology (7 works) · Economics (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management (6 works) · Corporate governance (6 works)