Social learning diffusion and influential stakeholders identification in socio-hydrological environments

Abstract

In this paper, six critical topics in social learning (SL) definition and applications are discussed: 1- Clarification of the SL definition; 2- The role of SL in the management of shared water resources; 3- The definition of “learning” in SL; 4- The quantification of SL; 5- The relation of SL with outputs of Social Networks Analysis (SNA) and stakeholder Analysis (SA); 6- Identifying and ranking of key stakeholders (i.e., influencers) for SL diffusion. After defining SL, we present SL's role using a well-known game theory problem. We have addressed the term “learning” in SL using an existing method, namely reinforcement learning. We present a new approach for quantifying SL within a hydrological environment and finding key stakeholders for the SL diffusion. For the first time, we consider a combination of SL, SA, and SNA to propose a comprehensive social-based approach to investigate SL diffusion. The western part of Tehran city, which is suffering from some water and environmental issues such as overexploitation of groundwater and land subsidence, is the case study of this paper. The results show a significant relationship between SL and the outputs of SNA. The suggested method for identifying key stakeholders has been able to identify key stakeholders in terms of various water resources management issues in the study area. The results can be used for developing effective policies towards sustainable management of water and environmental resources in the studied socio-hydrological system.