Publication

Kyrgyz farmers have been placed in the position of needing to coordinate inter-community irrigation systems through the creation of locally managed ‘Water Users Associations’ (WUA). This research paper analyzes these WUA: the factors that explain the varying degrees of success, the effect of ethnic heterogeneity, and the useful methods and data for research. The report shows that the 462 WUAs created have been designed with several institutional principles which are intended to address ‘collective action problems’ by transforming incentives for farmers and thereby motivating them to cooperate and coordinate in the provision of the public good of irrigation water.