title: Fragmented local governance and water resource management outcomes.
abstract: Fragmented jurisdictions and decision making structures can result in destructive competition and/or a lack of systematic cooperation that can hamper effective resource management and environmental planning, although the value of local autonomy and stakeholder participations should not be underestimated. This study empirically examines if political fragmentation in local governance is a significant barrier to successful resource management. To test this hypothesis, the authors quantify the degree of political fragmentation at two different geographical scales - 1) site-level: 12-digit watersheds and 2) regional: metropolitan statistical areas or equivalent regions - and analyze how water resource management outcomes vary with the level of political fragmentation using nationwide land cover and stream gauge information in the U.S. Regression analysis shows water quality declines (or slower quality improvements), measured in terms of total suspended solids, are associated with both site-level and regional political fragmentation indicators, suggesting that political fragmentation can make resource management more challenging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Planning, Policy and Design, University of California, Irvine, 206E Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. Electronic address: jaehk6@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Jae Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning, Kansas State University, 216 Seaton Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA. Electronic address: whisker@k-state.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.affiliation: Landscape Architecture Program, School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico, 128 Pearl Hall, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. Electronic address: ebernard@unm.edu.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bernard
mesh_terms: D004777:Environment; D009111:Local Government; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States; D060753:Water Quality; D062066:Water Resources
keywords: Destructive competition; Environmental planning; Local governance; Political fragmentation; Water resource management