Strategic Analysis of Water Institutions in India Application of a New Research Paradigm

Abstract

"The overall objective of this paper is to outline the analytical framework and theoretical approach underlying a new research paradigm and illustrate how this paradigm can be used for the strategic analysis of water institutions by applying it to the Indian context. The specific objectives are to: (a) outline the analytical framework and theoretical approach underlying a new research paradigm needed for a strategic analysis of water institutions including their internal structure and external environment (b) review the evolution, structure, and performance of water-related institutional arrangements in India, focusing first on the macro/ formal institutional arrangements and then, on their micro/informal counterparts (c) assess the performance of water institutions using a few objective criteria (d) evaluate the recent institutional changes within an institutional transaction cost framework and identify the forces--both endogenousand exogenous to the water sector--that determine the depth and direction of water institutional changes in the country (e) conclude by identifying some major implications for theory and policy in the realm of water institutional reform."