New Institutions for Managing Watersheds: A Comparative Analysis of Watershed Committees in Japan

Abstract

"This paper uses quantitative empirical analysis to examine the new 'watershed committees' established to govern watersheds in Japan. Recent literature emphasizes the importance of external actors such as government authorities, non-profit organizations, and academic experts for the management of local commons, but we have little knowledge about these new efforts to govern Japan’s watersheds. In response to amendments made to the River Law in 1997, Japan’s national and prefectural governments have established committees to manage many watersheds during the past ten years. These committees exist to allow academic experts and local residents the opportunity to jointly discuss plans for river development. While some of these committees have yielded beneficial results, such as new strategies for environmental protection or the establishment of watershed partnership organizations, others have encountered great difficulty in solving conflicts among stakeholders. The benefits and limitations of watershed committees have not yet been carefully examined. This paper uses a watershed committee dataset to address socioeconomic conditions, committees’ institutional designs, and the River Improvement Plans created by these committees. The dataset will then be used to classify diverse institutional features and analyze the relationship between the organization and effectiveness of these committees."