Transboundary Water Governance Research Articles

Transboundary Water Governance through the Lens of International Relations

This article discusses power and institutional theory with a (neo-) realist and institutionalist lenses regarding water governance. The main question is: how do power and institutions interact in the regulation of transboundary waters across many geographic scales? The sub-questions provide insights into the differing roles of realist and institutionalist perspectives in international relations (IR) and transboundary water governance, as well as the combined effects of power and institutions. This article discusses key approaches in IR (realism, neo-realism, institutionalism and neo-institutionalism). It then discusses concepts of hydro-hegemony, water governance and institutions. Lastly, institutions and power are demonstrated using a mixed methodology. By moulding relevant features of both perspectives into a middle ground, followed by a conclusion.

Comparing China and India’s transboundary water governance: insights from international law

ABSTRACT Home to the majority of Asia’s shared transboundary freshwater resources, China and India have adopted different approaches to transboundary water governance, influenced in part by their approach to international law. International law provides a framework for transboundary water cooperation through a body of conventional (treaty) and customary rules as well as non-binding instruments. This study examines China’s and India’s State practice through a legal analytical framework that serves to identify, compare, and contrast their approaches, with a view to offering some insight into how transboundary water cooperation by these two riparian nations might be reframed and possibly advanced.

Transboundary conflicts and water governance in the Paraguay River Basin – South America

This article analyses the conflicts and the structure of water governance in the Paraguay River Basin– South America – based on a review of documentary sources, specialised literature, and interviewswith key stakeholders operating in the basin. The study shows that the internal asymmetry of Braziland between this country and Paraguay is crucial in the definition of water use in the Basin, thusresulting in conflicts. The results of the study highlight the need for advances in the implementation ofagreements for the basin and the fact that these should include instruments that encompass new scalesof management and cooperation opportunities from local stakeholders, who have been neglected indecisions despite the coexistence of informal agreements between the parts.

Exogenous, Endogenous, and Peripheral Actors: A Situational Analysis of Stakeholder Inclusion within Transboundary Water Governance

Transboundary water governance involves collaborative decision-making across geopolitical boundaries to manage shared water resources sustainably. While this approach integrates public, private, and community efforts, little scrutiny has been directed toward the involvement of non-institutionally affiliated stakeholders. This study critically examines stakeholder participation in Upper Klamath Basin water governance by investigating how deficiencies in stakeholder inclusion impede transboundary water management processes by favoring institutionally affiliated actors. Findings reveal the differential influence of “endogenous” (directly involved), “exogenous” (indirectly involved), and “peripheral” (limited engagement and influence) actors. While endogenous and exogenous actors have formal or informal ties to institutions, peripheral actors lack institutional affiliation(s), making it difficult for them to participate in and ultimately influence water governance decision-making processes. Their limited access to financial, natural, and social capital further restricts their engagement with governance efforts. This imbalance underscores challenges to equity and inclusion in transboundary water governance processes. Addressing the exclusion of peripheral actors from transboundary water governance requires that governance institutions prioritize equity and inclusivity, fostering transparency, incentivizing inclusive practices, and comparing engagement processes to enhance effectiveness and equity in transboundary water management.

Enhancing Transboundary Freshwater Security: From Online Learning to Global Knowledge Exchange Platform

The management of transboundary water resources presents a complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders and countries. Negotiating a single rule for managing these resources can take years due to various factors, including political, socioeconomic, cultural, and historical backgrounds. To assist transboundary water practitioners worldwide, the GWP and GEF IW:LEARN have developed a free-access educational platform, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security. The MOOC attracted 3855 learners from 166 countries and included 14 interactive online sessions to facilitate discussions among practitioners. In response to learners’ desire for increased interaction and networking opportunities, the Transboundary Water Knowledge Exchange Hub was established. This global online community enables members to share knowledge and engage in direct peer-to-peer learning through an online knowledge management platform. The effort evolved from online course and interactive sessions into an online community, promoting knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning through an online knowledge management platform. Through examining this evolution and analysing key survey results, this paper analyses the role of MOOC and knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning for building capacity for improved transboundary water governance.

Policy instruments for governing water in cross-border metropolitan areas, the case of Greater Geneva

ABSTRACT Governing transboundary waters is inherently a complex policy issue. However, when waters flow through multiple urban spaces (multiple cities in different countries), it presents a unique challenge to access and control. Policy actors employ a variety of policy instruments to govern such spaces and users’ water demands. Drawing from the case of Geneva Metropolis (shared between Switzerland and France), we explain how policy instruments are formulated to manage a combination of water sources. We answer two questions: (1) what type of policy instruments contribute to reaching transboundary water governance in Greater Geneva? and (2) What are the underlying drivers that led to the success or failures of implementing policy instruments at the transboundary level? Based on policy documents and closed-door interviews, we present various policy instruments that have been developed and implemented in the Geneva metropolis. We further argue that the underlying drivers, such as the existence of communities of practice, political willingness, the influence of civil society actors and the evolution of an anticipatory water governance system, have influenced the policy instruments’ success and failure. To conclude, this article calls for further research on comparing different cross-border metropolitan areas, focusing on processual aspects (development and implementation) of policy instruments.

Mainstreaming gender in transboundary water governance: a South Asian perspective

In South Asia, multiple transboundary river basins are shared by countries of varying size and influence. Sharing the waters of these trans-boundary river systems has been a cause of conflict in the region for over seven decades. Economically, socially, and culturally, the people of South Asia are heavily dependent on these water resources for their sustenance. However, the reliance on water resources is gendered, and due to persistent economic and social disparities and restricted participation in decision-making, South Asian women are more susceptible than men to the uncertainties surrounding water supplies. The international water law and transboundary water agreements (TWAs) fail to highlight the considerable vulnerabilities that women experience in finding their voice in transboundary water governance. The 1997 UN-Watercourses Convention has certain entry points for incorporating gender concerns. However, the Convention has failed explicitly to adopt gender as a cross-cutting theme. This article analyses the existing legal framework of the transboundary water agreements in South Asia and addresses whether and how far gender-specific issues have been incorporated into these agreements. This is an attempt to identify specific entry points and strategies for gender engagement in transboundary water governance and to put forth the argument that any step aiming to incorporate gender concerns should be specific to the needs of the women of the region.

Exploring the use of data and models in transboundary water governance

Exploring the use of data and models in transboundary water governance

Putting diplomacy at the forefront of Water Diplomacy

Water diplomacy is a recent term that has been used to analyse hydropoltiical dynamics and issues that may arise when discussing transboundary water governance. In fact, the shared nature of transboundary water resources may lead to tension over their allocation and use which can in turn aggravate or harm interstate relations and cooperation. This is important as most freshwater resource systems cross jurisdictional borders, with 153 countries sharing transboundary rivers, lakes, and aquifers. Thus, a coordinated and sustainable management of these resources through water diplomacy is vital. While the concept of water diplomacy has been defined in several ways, we stress the need to emphasise diplomacy and the goals beyond the water field when considering this concept.

Governance in the La Plata River Basin and OECD principles: an opinion survey of transboundary water professionals

ABSTRACT This article analyses how La Plata River Basin experts perceive the process of setting up the governance of transboundary waters and determines whether the principles of good governance are adhered to, as established by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). A questionnaire was developed and submitted to experts with demonstrated expertise in the field. The results suggest that transboundary water governance needs to be strengthened. Critical issues include principles related to policy coherence and coordination among sectors, integrity and transparency, stakeholder engagement, and balanced commitments between consumers, rural and urban regions, and generations.

Navigating the Waters of Cooperation: A Review of 'South Asian Rivers: A Framework for Cooperation' Edited by Imtiaz Ahmed

The book delves into the multifaceted aspects of water governance, encompassing legal, political, environmental, and social dimensions. It begins with Imtiaz Ahmed's insightful introduction, setting the stage for an in-depth examination of river water sharing in the region. The subsequent chapters provide a wealth of information, covering national and international legal aspects, existing agreements and institutions, public engagement, and innovative approaches for transboundary water governance.

Hybrid governance, environmental justice, and hydropower development in the Mekong transboundary commons

AbstractThe transboundary Mekong River spans China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and provides critical ecosystem services that support millions of people across the river basin. However, the exploitation of its water resources for state‐led development, especially in the realm of hydropower development, not only threatens the livelihoods and food security of communities across the river basin, but also reveal the challenges of governing the Mekong River as a transboundary commons. In focusing on how environmental injustice is produced through hydropower development and the power dynamics within hybrid governance arrangements in the Mekong River Basin, this paper seeks to examine how a grounded perspective of environmental justice may be understood in this context by linkages between the principles of environmental justice and the Mekong literature in three ways. First, the production of, and challenges against distributive injustice in the Mekong River Basin must engage with a strong tradition of scalar analysis in the field of transboundary water governance, particularly in understanding how a politics of scale underlies contestations around the Mekong River. Second, the principle of justice as recognition can be situated within a body of literature that interrogates the politics of knowledge that runs through Mekong water governance, although the co‐production of knowledge types must be acknowledged. Finally, a recent body of literature questioning the legality of dam‐building and public participation around Mekong hydropower dams are closely tied to issues of procedural justice, and reveal the importance of recognizing plurality in ideas around transparency and accountability.This article is categorized under:Human Water > Water GovernanceHuman Water > Water as Imagined and RepresentedHuman Water > Value of Water

Clean Water Mapping as a Transdisciplinary Disaster Mitigation Effort on the Mekong Riverbank: A descriptive study

On the Mekong Riverbank, clean water mapping is a commonly utilized tool for disaster risk reduction and public health promotion initiatives. The purpose of this research is to investigate the possibility of clean water mapping as a transnational catastrophe mitigation initiative. A comprehensive literature analysis will be conducted to identify existing research and data on clean water maps, disaster risk reduction, and transnational water governance on the Mekong riverbank. The semi-structured interviews reveal current challenges and opportunities associated with cleaning water mapping, disaster risk prevention, and water governance, such as technical and institutional barriers, the need for collaborative and transdisciplinary approaches, and the complexity of transboundary water governance. The qualitative data demonstrate the potential benefits of cleaning water for disaster mitigation efforts, such as identifying high-risk areas and developing early warning systems for water-related disasters, as well as having broader public health benefits beyond the context of disasters. With the proper plans and tactics in place, clean water can make a big contribution to the region's long-term growth and people's well-being.

Transboundary water governance needs an intergenerational perspective

The opinions and desires of young researchers and youth action groups should be considered when planning solutions to water-related challenges at local and global scales.

Cooperative Governance of Transboundary Water in Greater Mekong Subregion: Challenges in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation

Rivers not only provide the most basic water resources but also pertain to national strategic resources with crucial implications. When it comes to international relationships, transboundary water management is a major topic under discussion. Nowadays, numerous riparian countries worldwide are involved in the issue of transboundary water governance. Better cooperative governance of transboundary water among countries could facilitate economic progress and enhance sustainable development. This paper took Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as a case study, analyzed challenges in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and put forward prospective solutions to address these problems in the hope of deepening the cooperation in managing the shared water resources within the river basin and further providing potential support for worldwide major river basin cooperative governance. By employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper found that current challenges for cooperation in the GMS are mainly: disputes over benefit distribution among countries upstream and downstream, different utilization of water resources and complex coordination, and multi-player games in the GMS.

Water, climate change and uncertainty in the Great Lakes and Rio Grande/Bravo Regions

AbstractUncertainty is inherent in transboundary water governance, yet climate change is deepening the uncertainties faced by those who manage shared water resources. This paper identifies and assesses uncertainties in the transboundary water governance context by applying an analytical framework which integrates insights from the uncertainty, adaptive governance, and public policy literatures to analyze policy documents in two complex transboundary cases: the Great Lakes and Rio Grande/Bravo basins. Findings from the analysis indicate that: first, deep uncertainties exist in both cases but the two basins face different combinations of, and interactions between, uncertainties; second, the system of scarcity assessed in this analysis (the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin) indicates more conflict-based uncertainties which aggravate natural and technical system uncertainties; and third, the governance system itself is a significant source of uncertainty, or exacerbates existing uncertainties, in both basins. The case studies reveal that governance systems need to focus on different sources, types and levels of uncertainty, and that policy responses need to be designed to move to a ‘monitor-and-adapt’ governance approach to reflect different uncertainties across systems of abundance and scarcity. An analysis of the preparedness of governance systems to respond and adapt to uncertainties is also needed and highly recommended.

Transboundary Water Governance Scholarship: A Critical Review

Governing and managing the allocation and use of freshwater has always been a complex and fraught undertaking. The challenges to effective and equitable management have been exacerbated by rising pressures on supplies caused by such drivers as population growth, urbanization and climate change. Moreover, vast quantities of water straddle international and other boundaries—four-fifths of the world’s largest river basins and hundreds of aquifers span such borders. This further complicates management and governance, which is subject to disparate legal, political, administrative, financial, cultural and diplomatic conditions. Recognition in the literature and in practice of ‘transboundariness’ dates to the 1970s and has grown since. The authors trace the evolution of transboundary water scholarship and identify five framings used in transboundary water governance and management: conflict and cooperation; hydropolitics; hydrodiplomacy; scale; and disciplinary approaches. Transboundary water management initiatives can be viewed through three broad strands: interventions, advancements in governance strategies and democratization of data and information for strengthening science–policy interaction. The authors close with a discussion of future directions for transboundary water governance and management, emphasizing the need for additional research on how to deal with climate-related and other mounting challenges.

A review of hydro-hegemony and transboundary water governance

Abstract This review paper is an attempt to analyze the existing literature on hydro-hegemony (HH) theory, which has emerged to explain transboundary water interactions. The literature highlights that the conventional water interaction literature inadequately deals with three important factors: (i) asymmetric power relations, (ii) varying intensities of conflict, and (iii) the importance of the geographical location of riparian states. Since its emergence, it has evolved both in theory development and in application to transboundary basins. Although an attempt has been made earlier for reviewing, organizing and evaluating the overall literature on HH, the review itself is somehow silent on the hegemonic approaches to assess its contribution to the transboundary water governance literature and to identify the existing and future research gaps. This paper, however, not just addresses these omissions to (i) review the scholarly literature on HH; (ii) explore the challenges associated with power, cooperation, and conflict; and (iii) identify and explore potential trends in HH theory, but it also gives special attention to the hegemonic approaches within states’ boundaries and the ingredients to enrich the theory and research agenda of HH.

Murky waters: the future of transboundary water governance in South and Southeast Asia

ABSTRACT Transboundary water governance is highly complex. It is often plagued by tense relations, technocratic water management and from being infrastructure orientated. In particular, the governance of transboundary rivers in the South and Southeast Asian region is likely to become increasingly complex due to a changing geopolitical environment. This makes it difficult to assess whether it will follow a similar trajectory as countries in the global North, where the uncertainty and complexities involved in water management are recognized and basin wide cooperation is often the norm, or forge a different path. An expert survey was conducted to identify the most significant factors influencing transboundary water governance in South and Southeast Asia and their implications for the future to extrapolate the trajectory of hydropolitics for the region. It was found that China is becoming increasingly influential in the governance of transboundary water in the region, which may come to represent a new water management regime.

Transboundary water governance and water conflicts in the Lake Victoria Basin: an adaptive and integrative management approach

Lake Victoria Basin is a transboundary natural resource shared by five East African Community countries. The Basin experiences unsustainable water resource utilization and management which creates conflicts among the users. This objective of this study was to examine the contribution of transboundary water governance systems in managing the water conflicts in the Basin. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and focused group discussions where respondents were clustered and purposively selected while quantitative data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS. Lake Victoria Basin Governance Performance Composite Index was also used to assess the effectiveness of governance systems in the Basin. The study findings revealed that: transboundary water governance systems with participation, integration, legal frameworks, collaboration, equity and adaptability, all with P < 0.05 negatively and significantly influence the causes of conflicts and water management challenges; integration (20%) and equity (19%) contribute highly to the model; and both adaptive and integrative water governance systems are less effective with a score of 34% and 35% respectively. The study concludes that the current management systems require an adaptive and integrative governance system. The study recommends harmonization of regional laws and policies governing the Basin and involvement of local communities in decision making.