Adaptive Governance and Integrated Water Resources Management in Argentina

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, international organizations and national and provincial authorities
in Argentina have promoted a number of institutional initiatives to implement Integrated
Water Resources Management in the country. The two main initiatives are the adoption of the
Guiding Principles of Water Policy, and the ongoing design of the National Federal Plan of
Water Resources. These are complemented by the creation of the Federal Water Council, a new
nation-wide venue that gives the provincial and national governments the chance to engage in
discussions related to the improvement of water management in the country. We analyze the
process leading to the creation of this set of new institutions through the theoretical lens of Adaptive
Governance, and assess how well national and provincial authorities have faced the challenges
of representation (who participates in decision-making processes) and process design
(how decisions are reached) that are so critical in the early stages of addressing interjurisdictional water
problems. Drawing on in-depth interviews with decision-makers, we also identify other challenges to
AG in Argentina, including the problem of discontinuation of policy efforts that could
lead to a better implementation of IWRM principles, and the pervasive presence of personalismo
in making decisions that affect water management.