The Link Between Social-Ecological Network Fit and Outcomes: A Rare Empirical Assessment of a Prominent Hypothesis

Abstract

It is often claimed that the structure of networks influences outcomes in environmental governance. For example, network motifs of social-ecological fit have been linked to positive environmental outcomes, but empirical tests of this link are rare. Social-ecological network fit represents a situation in which actors involved in the governance and management of linked ecological elements coordinate. We empirically analyze how motifs of social-ecological network fit are associated with actors’ outcome assessments in ten cases of Swiss wetlands governance. We combine social networks among organizational actors, networks of interrelated ecosystem management activities, and actors’ assessments of outcomes. Results show that – contrary to the prominent theoretical claim – more fit is linked to worse outcomes. Drawing on the so-called risk hypothesis, we argue that our negative findings likely highlight a complicated causal process between actors’ assessments of outcomes and their adjustment to risks through coordination in networks.