Author's personal copy A framework for analysing transboundary water governance complexes, illustrated in the Mekong Region John Dore a,⇑,1 , Louis Lebel b,2 , Francois Molle c,3 a Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Laos b Unit for Social and Environmental Research, Chiang Mai University, Thailand c Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Egypt article info Article history: Received 29 August 2011 Received in revised form 13 July 2012 Accepted 13 July 2012 Available online 2 August 2012 This manuscript was handled by Geoff Syme, Editor-in-Chief Keywords: Water governance Deliberation Negotiation Impact assessment Mekong summary In this paper we present a framework for analysing transboundary water governance complexes, illus- trated in the Mekong Region. In this region, the sharing of waters between countries adds a critical dimension to decision making about producing food and energy, maintaining vital ecosystems, and sus- taining livelihoods. Hydropower, dams, diversions, expanding cities and irrigation schemes are all in the mix. The key elements of the framework are: context, drivers, arenas, tools, decisions and impacts. The use of deliberation, technical and advocacy tools is explored and normative governance improvements are suggested. Ó 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Water governance can be understood as a social process of dia- logue, negotiation and decision-making; or, instrumentally, as a means to achieve pre-determined objectives. In this paper, we present a framework for analysing transboundary water gover- nance complexes (Fig. 1). The framework portrays the importance of, and connections be- tween: context, drivers, arenas, tools, decisions and impacts. There are many different water governance actors dealing with a variety of issues influenced by their individual and shared contexts. Actors engage in multiple arenas, depending on opportunity, necessity and choice. Drivers are what influence and motivate actors. We suggest three are key: interests, discourses and institutions. Actors employ tools to establish and legitimise their positions, inform de- bate and influence negotiations; or resist, reinforce and reframe perspectives. We define tools broadly and categorise them as being predominantly for deliberation, technical support, or advocacy. Decisions emerge from arenas. We separate the decisions that emerge as being primarily about framing, supply and demand. Ultimately, we are interested in the impacts of decisions in terms of the fairness and sustainability of water allocation, that reshapes the water governance context. We define allocation broadly to in- clude water use, related investment and sharing arrangements. In our heuristic framework, we recognise that some elements of our categories can overlap. We illustrate the framework with our experiences in Mekong transboundary water governance with emphasis, in this paper, on highlighting the diversity of actors and the role of decision tools in allocation decision-making. We draw on the research and engagement findings of a regional net- work on water governance known as M-POWER (Lazarus et al., 2011; Lebel et al., 2007; Molle et al., 2009b), especially a project that explored the tools used in water allocation in Mekong coun- tries (Dore et al., 2010a). 2. Research method The aim of the project was to contribute to water allocation pol- icy and practice that results in more optimal and equitable use of water by society. This aim was pursued by research across the Me- kong Region and active engagement with policymakers. We exam- ined the use of a wide range of decision-support tools, in many decision-making arenas. In doing so, the research team sought to understand decision contexts and drivers, and also build capacity to undertake governance research. 0022-1694/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.07.023 ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: AusAID Laos, Locked Bag 40, Kingston, ACT 2604, Canberra, Australia. Tel.: +856 20 55514815; fax: +856 21 353831. E-mail address: johndore@loxinfo.co.th (J. Dore). 1 Senior Water Resources Advisor – Mekong Region. 2 Director. 3 Senior Scientist. Journal of Hydrology 466–467 (2012) 23–36 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Hydrology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhydrol