Decentralizing
Hydraulic
Society
Actor responses to institutional
arrangements in Vietnam
Linköping Studies in Arts and Science No. 577
Linköping Studies in Arts and Science No. 577, 2013 Department of Thematic Studies - Water and Environmental Studies
Linköping University SE - 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
www.liu.se
Pham Thi Bich Ngoc
2013
Pham Thi Bich Ngoc
Decentralizing Hydraulic Society
Irrigation decentralization has been launched worldwide since 1980s
but its outcomes are very mixed. The question of what should be done to maintain long-term success with decentralization seems to remain unanswered.
This study argues that the implementation is constrained by a view that decentralization is a technical issue of power transfer without consideration of the consequences for new or modified institutional arrangements. There is a widespread lack of in-depth analysis of how actors in multi-level governance interact, how they influence decision making, and how they respond to institutional changes. Applying a mixed methods approach, this study demonstrates the deep effects institutional arrangements have on power relations and dynamics between actors in multi-level governance in two irrigation systems in Vietnam. As a consequence, prevailing conditions defy policy intentions by finding new forms of de-concentration and re-centralization, which produce unexpected effects on the autonomy, accountability, participation and incentives of all involved actors.
