The Role of Social Capital in Water Reservoirs Governance: Evidence from Northern Iran

Collective local governance of traditional water reservoirs ( Ab-bandans ) in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran, is gradually disappearing. Using the concept of social capital, we explore how and why components of social capital (trust, co-operation, social network cohesion, leadership roles, and c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human ecology : an interdisciplinary journal 2020-08, Vol.48 (4), p.491-503
Main Authors: Mirzaei, Arezoo, Knierim, Andrea, Fealy Nahavand, Saeid, Shemshad, Masoomeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology
Conflict resolution
Environmental Management
Geography
Governance
Interest groups
Interviews
Leadership
Management
Public administration
Reservoirs
Social capital
Social cohesion
Social networks
Social organization
Social Sciences
Sociology
Software
Water management
Water supply
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Summary:Collective local governance of traditional water reservoirs ( Ab-bandans ) in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran, is gradually disappearing. Using the concept of social capital, we explore how and why components of social capital (trust, co-operation, social network cohesion, leadership roles, and conflict resolution) among various local stakeholders influence water management through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with key local stakeholders (29 interviews). We used NVivo software to code the interview transcripts through the identification of relevant themes. Our results indicate that the most important component of social capital for local community water management is conflict resolution. Local community leaders play a crucial role in promoting and facilitating cooperation and conflict resolution among communities through negotiation and conciliation mechanisms. However, these mechanisms have proved inadequate in providing lasting resolution of conflicts between neighbouring communities over water management. Since the Iranian government has overall responsibility for water management, we recommend it engage directly in the resolution of local water conflicts to ensure lasting solutions acceptable to all local stakeholders.
ISSN:0300-7839
1572-9915
DOI:10.1007/s10745-020-00168-y