Abstract:

Effective water governance ensures resourceful management of water resources, including, equitable access to clean water, especially in hinterland communities where there are limited stakeholder engagements, and significant constraints on institutional resources. Grounded in institutional, stakeholder, social capital, and sustainable development theories, a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology was employed to analyze the perceptions of stakeholders in the town of Lethem, located in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region 9), Guyana about the state of water governance in the community. More specifically, the goal of the study was to garner stakeholders’ perception of governance effectiveness including institutional capacity, transparency, accountability, community engagement, and water resource sustainability. The findings show that institutional capacity and transparency significantly impact governance perceptions, while community engagement and sustainability also have positive contributions. These outcomes highlight the relevance and need for capacity-building initiatives, improved policy enforcement, and inclusive governance mechanisms to enhance water management outcomes in Lethem and similar communities. The insights provided offer valuable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners seeking to strengthen water governance frameworks in developing regions.

References:

[1]. Abrahim, S., Mir, B. A., Suhara, H., Mohamed, F. A., & Sato, M., 2019. Structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis of social media use and education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16 (32), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0157-y

[2]. Bakker, K., 2007. The “commons” versus the “commodity”: Alter-globalization, anti-privatization, and the human right to water in the global south. Antipode, 39 (3), 430–455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2007.00534.x

[3]. Bakker, K., & Morinville, C., 2013. The governance dimensions of water security: A review. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 371. 2002, 20130116. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0116

[4]. Cleaver, F., 2012. Development through bricolage: Rethinking institutions for natural resource management. Routledge.

[5]. Cohen, J., 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587

[6]. Conrad, C. C., Hilchey, K. G., & DeLury, N., 2011. A review of citizen science and community-based environmental monitoring: Issues and opportunities. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 176 (1–4), 273–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1582-5

[7]. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D., 2018. Research design (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

[8]. Falkenmark, M., & Rockström, J., 2006. The new blue and green water paradigm: Breaking new ground for water resources planning and management. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 132 (3), 129–132. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9496(2006)132:3(129)

[9]. Freeman, R. E., 1984. Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Pitman Publishing.

[10]. Grindle, M. S., 2004. Good enough governance: Poverty reduction and reform in developing countries. Governance, 17 (4), 525–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0952-1895.2004.00256.x

[11]. Hill, R., Grant, S., George, M., Robinson, C. J., Jackson, S., & Garnett, S. T., 2012. Indigenous land and sea management programs in Australia: Towards an understanding of their environmental outcomes. Ecological Management & Restoration, 13 (1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00633.x

[12]. Huitema, D., Mostert, E., Egas, W., Moellenkamp, S., Pahl-Wostl, C., & Yalcin, R., 2009. Adaptive water governance: Assessing the institutional prescriptions of adaptive (co-)management from a governance perspective and defining a research agenda. Ecology and Society, 14 (1), 26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-02827-140126

[13]. Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M., 2010. The worldwide governance indicators: Methodology and analytical issues. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5430. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-5430

[14]. Mattur, R., & Ter Horst, R., 2022. Assessing transboundary water governance in the Rhine Basin through a gender lens: The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. In Gender Dynamics in Transboundary Water Governance. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003198918

[15]. Mehta, L., Veldwisch, G. J., & Franco, J., 2014. Water grabbing? Focus on the (re)appropriation of finite water resources. Water Alternatives, 7 (2), 193–207.

[16]. Molle, F., Foran, T., & Kakonen, M., (Eds.). 2010. Contested waterscapes in the Mekong region: Hydropower, livelihoods, and governance. Earthscan.

[17]. Mukherji, A., Scott, C., Molden, D., & Maharjan, A., 2018. Megatrends in Hindu Kush Himalaya: Climate change, urbanisation and migration and their implications for water, energy and food. In A. Biswas, C. Tortajada, & P. Rohner (Eds.), Assessing Global Water Megatrends. Water Resources Development and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6695-5_8

[18]. Norman, E. S., Cohen, A., & Bakker, K., 2013. Water without Borders?: Canada, the United States, and Shared Waters. University of Toronto Press.

[19]. Ostrom, E., 1990. Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press.

[20]. 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), 5. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-02037-120205

[21]. Pretty, J., 1995. Participatory learning for sustainable agriculture. World Development, 23 (8), 1247–1263. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(95)00046-F

[22]. Ribot, J. C., 2003. Democratic decentralisation of natural resources: Institutionalising popular participation. Overseas Development Institute.

[23]. Roth, D., Boelens, R., & Zwarteveen, M., 2014. Water rights reform: Lessons for institutional design. Routledge.

[24]. Roszkowska-Menkes, M., 2023. Institutional Theory. In S.O. Idowu, R., Schmidpeter, N., Capaldi, L. Zu, M., Del Baldo, & R. Abreu (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25984-5_389

[25]. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A., 2019. Research Methods for Business Students (8th ed.). Pearson Education.

[26]. Sultana, F., & Loftus, A., 2012. The right to water: Politics, governance, and social struggles. Routledge.

[27]. UN-Water. 2020. Summary progress update 2020: SDG 6 — water and sanitation for all. United Nations. https://www.unwater.org/publications/summary-progress-update-2020-sdg-6-water-and-sanitation-for-all/

[28]. Van Koppen, B., Moriarty, P., & Boelee, E., 2006. Multiple-use water services to advance the millennium development goals. IWMI Research Reports 44523. International Water Management Institute. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.44523

[29]. Williams, M., Wiggins, R., Vogt, W. P., & Vogt, P. R., 2022. Beginning Quantitative Research. SAGE Publication.

[30]. WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). 2021. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2021: Valuing Water. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf000037572

[31]. Zeitoun, M., Mirumachi, N., & Warner, J., 2011. Transboundary water interaction II: The influence of ‘soft’ power. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 11 (2), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-010-9134-6