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Understanding Water Regime Formation-A Research Framework with Lessons from Europe

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  • Stefan Lindemann

    (Stefan Lindemann is a Research Fellow at the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU). His current main research interests include international water policy and peace and conºict studies.)

Abstract

International river basins are mostly characterized by upstream-downstream externalities that involve asymmetric incentives to cooperate and, therefore, suggest a high conflict potential between riparian states. However, with more than 400 river basin treaties, cooperation along international rivers by far outweighs water-related conflicts. The abundance of international water cooperation despite the odds is puzzling and has so far received little systematic attention. Against this background, I develop a research framework that draws on international regime theory and combines power, interest, knowledge and contextbased approaches to water regime formation. In a second step, I probe the plausibility of my framework in two case studies on international water cooperation in the Rhine and Elbe river basins. The empirical findings suggest that there is no "one-answer-fits-all" in trying to explain water regime formation. While power-based approaches are of limited explanatory value, a thorough understanding of cooperation along the two international rivers requires the combination of interest, knowledge and context-based arguments. (c) 2008 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Lindemann, 2008. "Understanding Water Regime Formation-A Research Framework with Lessons from Europe," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 8(4), pages 117-140, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:8:y:2008:i:4:p:117-140
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tobias Renner & Sander Meijerink & Pieter Zaag & Toine Smits, 2021. "Assessment framework of actor strategies in international river basin management, the case of Deltarhine," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 255-283, June.
    2. Mariana Rivera-Torres & Andrea K. Gerlak, 2021. "Evolving together: transboundary water governance in the Colorado River Basin," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 553-574, December.
    3. Lei Xie & Shaofeng Jia, 2017. "Diplomatic water cooperation: the case of Sino-India dispute over Brahmaputra," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 677-694, October.
    4. Kate J. Neville & Glen Coulthard, 2019. "Transformative Water Relations: Indigenous Interventions in Global Political Economies," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Bole Pan & Haoxuan Tan & Bojun Mao & Yixian Shen & Zhuoyuan Lu & Yongzhang Pan & Wei Zuo, 2020. "An Ecological Compensation Model for Liuxi River Basin Based on Emission Rights," Journal of Management and Sustainability, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(2), pages 128-128, March.
    6. Tengda Lu & Xieer Dai & Jun Chen & Ming Dai, 2018. "Pricing Industrial Discharge Quota (IDQ): A Model Reflecting Opportunity Cost of Performing Ecological Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.

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