Network analysis of collaboration and information sharing in the management of the Lower Mekong River Basin

Abstract

Collaboration in a natural resource management setting is vital to effective management. This paper evaluates collaboration and information and data exchange among organizations involved in the management of the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB). As in other major river basins throughout the world, the LMB faces complex management challenges related to transboundary cooperation and competing demands from users in different countries. In response to stakeholder interest in strengthening collaboration and information sharing and identifying organizations well positioned to serve as research and information hubs to foster collaboration in LMB resource management, we conducted an organizational network survey of national, regional and international organizations that work in the LMB. An examination of network structure was conducted using key network measures and Jackson's (2017) social capital typology was used to examine which organizations in the network were well suited to serve as research and information hubs. The analysis showed that while the LMB network was relatively dense compared to other natural resource research and/or management networks, a lack of connections across national and organizational type boundaries could be a hindrance to transboundary collaboration and communication. The analysis also identified two organizations that were particularly well situated within the LMB network to act as brokers for knowledge and information exchange, with each organization occupying a complementary position in the network. This study illustrates the utility of social network analysis in identifying opportunities and hindrances for collaboration and information exchange and the potential roles of key actors in complex multi-scaled natural resource management contexts.