The transformative capacity of watershed partnerships

Abstract

This research is based on the assumption that the achievement of good governance can help to improve water security, where good governance is defined by the appropriate sharing of decision-making power and responsibility between state and non-state actors across sectors and scales. Current water management theory suggests that institutions involving distribution, integration, collaboration and adaptation are necessary to achieve the principles of good governance. The watershed partnership, which is a relatively recent institution for water management, combines these concepts and therefore holds the potential to facilitate transformation toward good governance. The extent to which a watershed partnership can facilitate institutional transformation by altering the fundamental nature of key institutional components such as interactions, relationships and decision-making tools was evaluated in the context of institutions for water allocation in the Bow River Basin, Alberta. The Bow River Basin Council served as the case study for this research inquiry.