"This book provides a fresh perspective on the linkages between distress out-migration, poverty and environmental degradation in India. The authors' hypothesis is that the establishment of properly constituted property rights through institutional intervention is the key to mitigating poverty and to stemming distress out-migration from rural to urban areas. They provide conclusive evidence concerning the impact of institutional changes on environmental upgradation and socio-economic improvement." "Perhaps the first effort to apply econometric techniques to the study of institutional change, this book will interest professional economists, policy makers, non-governmental organisations and those studying the environment, common property and natural resources."--Jacket.