Paradigms of water governance: a systematic review

Journal article

Water resources face critical challenges globally, and the current water crisis is often described as a crisis of governance, meaning that ideas about water governance matter greatly. We argue that so-called water governance paradigms play crucial roles in shaping policy agendas, influencing decision-making processes, and ultimately determining the success or failure of water management strategies. However, why, how, and where policy paradigms matter remains unclear. To address this research gap, we performed a systematic review of studies focused on water governance paradigms, examining (1) the characteristics of this literature and (2) how and which aspects of these paradigms are studied. An analysis of 100 studies reveals that the “integrated approach to governing/managing water” paradigm is a central concern in academic literature. The role of governmental actors in promoting and implementing paradigms, as well as the existence of imbalances in water governance debates, also features prominently. The studies we analyze highlight a discrepancy between the promoted paradigms and the contextual realities, compounded by the problem of institutional layering, whereby older paradigms persist and influence actual levels of change. Finally, our results show that although many studies adopt a critical perspective, few provide empirical evidence of paradigms’ effects, and there is a lack of common terminology. Overall, this review underscores the importance of problematizing water governance paradigms, which serve as a source code for governance arrangements. It also emphasizes the need to consider contextual nuances when engaging with these paradigms.

Authors: Bilalova, S; Jager, NW; Newig, J; Huitema, D; Koehler, JKL

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Resilience Alliance
• Journal: Ecology & Society
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 1
• Publication date: 2026-01-01
• DOI: 10.5751/ES-16482-310108
• EISSN: 1708-3087
• ISSN: 1708-3087
• Language: English
• Keywords: Corporate governance; Empirical evidence; Empirical research; Environmental governance; Face (sociological concept); Meaning (existential)