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The 1922 Colorado River Compact started the long history of water governance in the Colorado River Basin. Over the last century, the institutional structure has shaped water governance in the basin. However, an understanding of the long-term evolution is lacking. This study examines how water management strategies have evolved at the basin scale by incorporating institutional, temporal, and network structure analysis methods to examine long-term changes. Content analysis was employed to systematically investigate encouraged and/or discouraged water management actions at different rule levels. The water governance network was examined at four points in time to map the institutional structure, actors, and governance level at which rules are issued and targeted. Using institutional analysis, we found constitutional, operational, and collective-choice level rules for water supply, storage, movement, and use have been altered via layering of new governance rules without major rule or responsibility alteration. The network analysis results indicate that key decision-making positions have remained and actors who issue and are targeted by the rules lack significant change. We found original positions of power have been maintained, potentially stagnating the space for problem-solving and management strategy renegotiation. Our results indicate that path dependency has shaped water governance and who is able to influence decision-making.
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This content will become publicly available on February 1, 2026
Illuminating the collective learning continuum in the Colorado River Basin Science‐Policy Forums
Abstract Although considerable research over the past two decades has examined collective learning in environmental governance, much of this scholarship has focused on cases where learning occurred, limiting our understanding of the drivers and barriers to learning. To advance knowledge of what we call the “collective learning continuum,” we compare cases of learning to cases where learning was not found to occur or its effects were “blocked.” Through semi‐structured interviews with key stakeholders in science‐policy forums in the Colorado River Basin, a large and complex river basin in western North America, we examine differences and patterns that explain moments of learning, blocked learning, or non‐learning, drawing insights from the collective learning framework. Our results find various factors that influence learning, blocked learning, and non‐learning. We discover technical and social factors as common drivers of both learning and blocked learning. In contrast, we find more structural factors associated with non‐learning. At the same time, the cases reveal insights about the role of political factors, such as timing, legal constraints, and priorities, which are underdeveloped in the collective learning framework. Overall, these findings advance theoretical knowledge of the collective learning continuum and offer practical insights that may strengthen the coordination of science and management for effective governance within the Basin.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2048133
- PAR ID:
- 10618042
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Environmental Policy and Governance
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1756-932X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 26 to 47
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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