The evolution of governance institutions

Abstract

This dissertation submits a policy implementation framework for the analysis of governance institutions and their performance. By examining the relationship between water institutions and implementation environments, the proposed implementation framework provides a typology of water institutions that is used to analyze their ability to mitigate water scarcity. Using the following research strategies: (1) a confirmatory factor analysis of policy implementation dimensions affecting institutional design, (2) a quantitative analysis of country-level data to measure relationship between institutional typologies and institutional performance, and (3) a quantitative analysis of state-level policy adoption data to measure the effects of implementation dimensions on drought management plan adoption, I find support for the proposed framework. The framework also provides insight into the relationship between policy implementation and institutional performance. Data have been compiled from existing studies on water institutions, national, and international datasets. This dissertation expands the previous research on institutional governance by providing a policy implementation framework for institutional analysis.