International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

Process for carrying out Governance Analysis

Introduction

There is no agreed blueprint for governance analysis in the TDA/SAP Approach. The type of governance analysis used will always reflect the cultural, political and social structure of the countries where it is being carried out. Furthermore, it will differ between different water systems – what is appropriate for river basins will not be appropriate for LMEs and vice versa.

However, in all cases governance analysis should be fully linked with the stakeholder consultation and analysis component of the project discussed in the Project Management Manual and should consider the following subject areas (in relation to the water system being analysed):

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Advice from the Field

Use existing assessments Possible sources include international or regional organisations (UNDP, World Bank, regional development banks), universities, research institutes, NGOs, and private sector consultancies.

Try to go beyond the formal aspects of political and social interaction to the more revealing, decisive informal levels. For example, don’t just describe the formal decision-making hierarchy but find out where decisions are really taken, and by whom, and why.

Use open-ended questions when developing interviews, questionnaires and surveys and try to get inputs from various perspectives.

Attend coordination meetings at key ministries or agencies in order to observe the dynamics – the informal ‘rules of the game’. Intersectoral or interministerial meetings are also very revealing.

Talk with in-house journalists at key ministries, and to journalists who cover political and sectoral areas.

Identify long-time staff members (mid-level or advisory roles), and interview them; often this is where the real institutional memory is deposited, the knowledge of what was done when, what worked and what did not – and why; similarly, these are the people who will know about the process of developing, implementing or evaluating a given policy.

Track down former staff members who have worked on key areas or programmes in order to get their perspective – they may be more open about past efforts, problems, mistakes and achievements.