Network Analysis of Organizational Relationships for Analyzing the Isfahan Water Resources Governance System

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

2 Department of Water and Agriculture Governance, Facualty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

3 Department of Arid and Mountainous Regions Reclamation, Faculty of natural resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Abstract

Identifying and assessing stakeholders is a vital aspect of water resources policy making and a key requirement for effective water resources governance. The aim of this research is to identify the organizations responsible for water resources governance in Isfahan province and assess the level of organizational cohesion through the network analysis approach. This research has analyzed the relationships between the organizations by examining the process of information transfer and inter-organizational cooperation and using the quantitative method of social network analysis. In this context, 42 organizations involved with the governance of water resources in Isfahan province were identified using the snowball sampling method. In this research, we measured the key indices of network analysis that impact organizational cohesion and water resources policy making. At the macro level, these indices include density, network size, reciprocity, transitivity, average geodesic distance, centralization, and at the subgroup level, the core-periphery index and the E-I index. The research findings on the network of water resources governance organizations in Isfahan province indicate a medium to poor level of organizational cohesion, low speed of information and resource flow, and high centralization among organizations and subgroups. To promote effective governance of water resources in the study area, it is essential to strengthen the reciprocal relations and interactions among stakeholders, enhance organizational coherence, and encourage decentralization among the stakeholders involved. In conclusion, network analysis is an effective tool for managers and planners in governing water resources. To achieve this, it is also vital to enhance inter-institutional coordination and ensure coherence in water policy.

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