Organization and Decision‐Making in Enforced Networks: The River Groups in Northern Sweden

Abstract

This article examines the Swedish experience of network governance in managing flooding and high water flows. The aim was to study the regional responsibility for coordinating risk awareness and risk analysis in terms of information, prevention and actions. The focus was on differences between the Swedish river groups from the coordinators perspective, including their organization and approaches to decision‐making. The conclusions reached here are based on interviews with the coordinators of county administrative boards. We argue that the absence of central guidelines in the organization of the river groups and the fact that they are enforced by the government rather than spontaneously formed have had implications for the networks’ effectiveness and for exchanges of experience among the networks.