On the Analysis of Structural Pattern of Institutional Relations in the Governance of Agricultural Water Resources (Case Study: Rasht County)

Subject Areas : Urban and Regional Planning Studies

H.  Afrakhteh ¹ (Professor, Geography & Rural Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran)
A.  Tahmasebi ² (Assistant Professor, Geography & Rural Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran)
F.  Azizpour ³ (Assistant Professor, Geography & Rural Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran)
F.  askari ⁴ (Ph.D. Candidate, Geography & Rural Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran)

Received: 2016-12-16 Accepted : 2017-02-21 Published : 2017-08-23

Keywords: social network analysis, Governance, Agricultural Water Resources,

Abstract :

The concept of co-operation and institutional coordination has always been emphasized as one of the key elements in achieving participatory resource management. This study aimed at identifying the structural pattern of institutional relations of 28 organizations associated with the implementation of participatory management of agricultural water resources in Rasht County. For this purpose, the method of social network analysis, with indexes of size, density, centrality of the whole network, the reciprocity measure, the transitivity and the shortest distance between two actors at the macro level were used. The results based on measuring determined indices show that from the number of 756 possible links that could be formed in this network, only 227 cases (about a third) occurred. The network density of information exchange and cooperation among the surveyed organizations was 30%, according to the density and centralization of the measured values, it could be concluded that the institutional coherence among governmental and nongovernmental studied organizations was weak. Accordingly, strengthen the institutional coherence by studying the role of individual actors in the network could be recommended. On the other hand, network connections reciprocity was 23.37% which represented the network centralization and the need to strengthen the reciprocal flow of information and interaction between these organizations.

References:

Agrawal, A. (2001). Common Property Institution and Sustainable Governance of Resources.World Devlopment,29(12), available :www.elsevier,com/locate/worlddev.

Anonymous. (n.d.). Retrieved 2016, from Ministiry of Jahad-e Agriculture: http://agri-jahad.ir/Portal/Home. (In Persian)

Anonymous. (2016). Department of Agriculture Management. Rasht: Jahad-e Agriculture Organization of Guilan Province. (In Persian)

Bastani, S., & Raeesi, M. (2011). Network analysis method: The applicaion of whole network approach in open-source social studies. Iranian Journal of Social Studies, 5 (2), 31-57. (In Persian)

Berkowitz, S.D. (1982). An Introduction to Structural Analysis, The Network Approach to Social Research, University of Vermont, available: https:// www. Amazon .com /Introduction-Structural-Analysis-Approach-Research/dp/0409813621.

Bhamoriya,V., & Gandhi, V. P. (2011). Water Management Institutions for Enhancing Water and Food Security,Designing for Better Adaptiveness. India Infrastructure Report,150-134,available: https://www.idfc.com/.../Chp-9-Water-Management-Institutions -for-Enhancing-Water.

Blanchet, K., & James, P. (2012).The Role of Social Networks in the Governance of  Health Systems: the Case of Eye Care Systems in Ghana. Health Policy and Planning,28(2),143-156, available: doi:10.1093/heapol/czs031.

Bodin, Ö., Crona, B., & Ernstson. H. (2006). Social Networks in Natural Resource Management: What is there to Learn from a Structural Perspective? Ecology and Society 11(2): r2, available:: http://www.ecolo gyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/resp2/.

Cohen, P.J., Evans,L.S., & Mills, M. (2011). Social Networks Supporting Governance of Coastal Ecosystems in Solomon Islands. Conservation Letters, 5, 376–386, available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-263X. 2012. 00255. X/ abstract.

Cortner, H. J., Wallace, M.G., Burke, S., & Moote. M. A. (1998). Institutions Matter: the Need to Address the Institutional Challenges of Ecosystem Management. Landscape and Urban Planning 40, 159-166, available: http:// research. arch. tamu. edu/ media/ cms_page_media/3390/institutions_matter.pdf.

Craig, W. T., & Koontz, T. (2006). What Do We Know and Need to Know About the Environmental Outcomes of Collaborative Management?, 111-121, available: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00671.x/pdf.

De Nooy, W. (2003). Fields and Networks: Correspondence Analysis and Social Network Analysis in the Framework of Field Theory. Available: www. elsevier. com/locate/poetic.

Ernstson, H., Sörlin, S., & Elmqvist, T. (2008). Social Movements and Ecosystem Services–the Role of Social Network Structure in Protecting and Managing Urban Green areas in Stockholm, Ecology and Society, 13(2), available: http://www. ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss2/art39/.

Firouzpoor, M., Erfanzadeh, R., Ghorbani, M., & Rasekhi, S. (2016). Social network analysis and structural scheme of social relation among rangeland stakeholders (Case study: Takor village, Noor). Journal of Rangeland, 9 (3), 244-254. (In Persian)

Frank, K.A. (2011). Social Network Models for Natural Resource Use and Extraction. available: https:// msu. edu/~kenfrank /social %20 network% 20 models % 20 for % 20 natural%20resource%20use.pdf.

Frank, O. (2002). Using Centrality Modeling in Network Surveys. Social Networks, 24, 385-394, available: www.elsevier.com/locate/socnet.

Ghorbani, M. (2015). An action plan for monitoring and assessment of sociopolitical networks in empowering local communities and comprehensive territory management. Tehran, Iran: Research Institution of Local Communities Empowerment and Cooperation Management of Natural Resources. (In Persian)

Ghorbani, M., Avazpour, L., & Yoosefi, M. (2015). Analysis and assessment of social capital toward increasing of local communities resilience and sustainable landscape management. Journal of Range and Watershed Management,68 (3), 625-645. (In Persian)

Ghorbani, M., Rahimi, K., Jafari, M., & Tavili, A. (2015). Analyzing the social capital in rangeland stakeholders network for adaptive co-management (ACM). Journal of Rangeland,9 (1), 91-105. (In Persian)

Ghorbani, M., Rasekhi, S., Salimi, J., & Roghani, R. (2015). Natural resources managemen at the local level: Social capital and social power in local beneficiaries' nework. Journal of Rural Research,5 (4), 779-808. (In Persian)

Global Water Partnership. (2010). Development Lessons from Water Management. available:www.globalwaterpartnership.org.

Hamdy, A., & Lacirignola, C. (1997). Capacity Building and Irrigation Water Management: The Role of Institutions and human Resources. available: www. iamb .it/share/img_new_medit_articoli/757_04hamdy.pdf.

Hawe,P.,Webster,C., & Shiell,A. (2003). A Glossary of Terms for Navigating the Feld of Social Network Analysis. available: doi: 10.1136/jech.2003.014530.

Hanneman, R.A., & Riddle, M. ( 2005). Introduction to social network methods. University of California Riverside, California, available: http:// www. analytictech. com/networks.pdf.

Ioris, A.A.R. (2008). Water Institutional Reforms in Scotland: Contested Objectives and Hidden Disputes. Water Alternatives, 1 (2), 253‐270, available: www. water‐ alternatives. org.

Jubeh.G., & Mimi, Z. (2012). Governance and Climate Vulnerability Index. Water Resour Management, 26 (14),4147-4162, available : DOI 10.1007/s11269-012-0137-7.

Kamangiri, A. (2012). A study on the organizaitonal and social challenges and opportunities for cooperative management (Case study: Ziarat Watershed, Guilan Province) (M.Sc. Thesis). Gorgan, Iran: Faculty of Range and Watershed, Gorgan University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Science. (In Persian)

Kennedy, J.J., & Jack Ward, T. (1995). Managing Natural Resources as Social Value, available :http://www.umass.edu/hd/resources/KennedyValues.pdf.

Lebel,L.,Anderies,J.M.,Campbell, B.,Folke, C. & Hatfield-Dodds, S. (2006). Governance and the Capacity to Manage Resilience in Regional Social-Ecological Systems. Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship,Paper,52, available: http:// digitalcommons. library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/52.

Maas, A. (2011). Water, Governance and Sustainability: A Case Study of Water Allocation in Whiteman’s Creek Watershed, Ontario, MA thesis in Planning, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, available :  https:// uwspace. uwaterloo. Ca / bitstream/handle/10012/6246/Maas_Anthony.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.

Otte,E., & Rousseau,R. (2002). Social Network Analysis: a Powerful Strategy, also for the Information Sciences. Journal of Information Science, 28 (6), 441-453, available: http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/28/6/441.

Pahl-Wostl,C.,Craps,M.,Dewulf,A.,Mostert,E.,Tabara,D., & Taillieu,T. (2007). Social Learning and Water Resources Management. Ecology and Society, 12(2) , available : http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/ vol12/iss2/art5/.

Reed, M. S.,Graves,A., Dandy,N.,Posthumus,H., Hubacek,K.,Morris,j.,Prell,C., Quinn ,G.H., & Stringer L. C. (2009). Who’s in and Why? A Typology of Stakeholder Analysis Methods for Natural Resource Management. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1933-1949, available : www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman.

Salari, F., Ghorbani, M., & Malekian, A. (2015). Social monitoring in local stakeholders network to water resources local governance (Case study: Razin watershed, Kermanshah City). Journal of Range and Waershed Management,68 (2), 287-305. (In Persian with English Abstract)

Sepehri, M., & Riahi, A. (2010). The application of social network analysis in extracting the requirements of knowledge management system in knowledge-based organizations. Journal of Science & Technology Policy,3 (2), 81-94. (In Persian)

Serrat, O. (2009). Social Network Analysis. Knowledge Solutions,28, Asian Development Bank, available: www.adb.org/knowledgesolutions.

Stein,C.,Ernstson,H., & Barron, J. (2011). A Social Network Approach to Analyzing Water Governance: The Case of the Mkindo Catchment, Tanzania. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 36 (14-15), 1085–1092, available: https:// www. researchgate.net/publication/232413744_A_social_network_approach_to_analyzing_water_governance_The_case_of_the_Mkindo_catchment_Tanzania.

Stoker, G. (2002). Governance as Theory: five propositions. International Social Science Journal, 50 (155), 17 - 28  available : http:// onlinelibrary .wiley. com/ doi/ 10.1111/issj.1998.50.issue-155/issuetoc.

Subramanian, S. (2008). A Systems Approach to Unravel Complex Water Management Institutions, Ecological Complexity, 5(3), 202-215, available: https:// www. researchgate.net/publication/221942178_A_systems_approach_to_unravel_complex_water_management_institutions.

Teisman, G., van Buuren, A., Edelenbos, J., & Warner, J. (2013). Water Governance: Facing the Limits of Managerialism, Determinism, Water-Centricity, and Technocratic Problem-Solving. International Journal of Water Governance 1, available: http://www.internationalwatergovernance.com/.

van Bueren, E.M, Klijn,E.H., & Koppenjan, J.F.M. (2003). Dealing with Wicked Problems in Networks:Analyzing an Environmental Debate from a Network Perspective. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory,13 (2),193–212, available: jpart.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/2/193.full.pdf.

Vollmer, R., Ardakanian, R., Hare, M., Leentvaar, J., van der Schaaf . S., & Wirkus, L. (2009). Institutional Capacity Development in Transboundary Water Management.UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC), UNESCO, available:http://www.unwater.org/downloads/05_Institutional_Capacity_Development_in_Transboundary_Water_Management.pdf.

Wassermann, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis,Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press, available: https:// www. amazon. com/ Social-Network-Analysis-Applications-Structural/dp/0521387078.

Watson, N., Deeming, H., & Treffny, R. (2009). Beyond Bureaucracy? Assessing Institutional Change in the Governance of Water in England. Water Alternatives, 2(3), 448-460, available: www.water-alternatives.org.