Publication

This paper examines problems that arise in the management and governance of common pool resources such as water. It focuses on water users associations (WUAs) in Kyrgyzstan and problems with irrigation systems. The author provides a summary of the justification and theoretical support behind the implementation of Irrigation Management Transfer and the devolution of decision-making authority to WUAs. The paper includes a section delineating some of the constraints and obstacles that hinder the success of WUAs, and in many cases, lead to their failure. The author concludes that the social and economic cost of non-compliance with WUA rules must be sufficiently high so as to reduce and eventually end opportunistic behavior among farmers.