Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
As a sec country Iran is dealing with environmental challenges including water crisis. Iran has been confronted with water problem in its history. This problem has been multiple by its neighbor’s water policy; Afghanistan and Turkey. Policies. The water problem in Iran is caused by the lack of power in the governance system, I call it power disruption. Politics in the most basic narrative is the exercise of power and who gets what, when and how. Planning is also how to turn knowledge into action. This transformation itself is a kind of embodiment of power. Exercising power is a chain that consists of two elements: power and decisions.
Methodology
Water policy of Iranian government has been analyzed with different approaches and from different perspectives. This article uses a mix approach including analytical, discourse, institutional and historical analysis to elaborate a theory of power in policy cycle. The fundamental mechanism that consolidates policy cycle is power. The lack of power causes disruption in the chains of policy cycle, i.e., disruption in policy making in Iranian water policy.
what can organize all these problems in a comprehensive theoretical and methodological framework is the analisis of power. From our point of view, all these problems can be solved under the title of power: from the content power of a policy to the power of design, implementation, feedback and evaluation of water policy. Our effort is to show how power and decision are not formed in water politics, and politics is emptied of its main content: which is power.
Findings
The findings of this study are discussed under the following themes:
First, the most important disruption in Iranian water policy is the disruption of power, in the sense that, first, there is a conflict of multiple powers, from farmers to industrialists, bureaucrats, rent-seekers, etc. Second, power does not flow from top to bottom in water policy process and its components.
Second, decision-making disruption in Iranian water policy suffers from various dimensions: the perspective of the inherent element in collective action; the perspective of deciding what issue should be placed on the agenda of the government; and who should decide. The term “disruption” here confirms the dispersion and lack of public power.
Analysis
In the analytical framework (MSF) of John Kingdon, the role of a policy entrepreneur is emphasized. In the same way, to transform the decision from one policy stage to another, "political power" is needed to undertake this task. Power here is a set of institutional elements and components that organizes and implements the "decision" and undertakes the task of transferring power. These institutional components of decision-making can include legal, administrative, systemic, group, traditional and even individual procedures. When the stakeholders of the issue, including farmers, industries, environmental NGOs, and the government, are active in all the agenda stages of public policy (from agenda setting to policy formulation, implementation and evaluation) the governance system is formed adequately and in participative manner. Consequentially the governance power is emerged.
Conclusion “Self-awareness” of the governance problems, “discussion”, and “will” provide the native discursive solution. The pillars of this discourse include the development pillar, the environmental pillar, and the security pillar. Improving general decision-making skills, although technical, but is one of the suitable solutions to overcome the decision disruption in the governance of water policy in Iran.
"Regional Water Council" can be another solution for overcoming disruption in decision-making in the governance system. This council assembly is a collection of regional stakeholders, expert, and officials. This is a regional parliament consists of representatives of different sectors of peasants, industries, NGOs, social trustees etc.
Integrated Water Management, as recommended by the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership, is another recommendation of this article, which is a process that involves the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximize economic and social outcomes and promote well-being in an equitable manner.
In order to institutionalize this action, it is possible to form an executive policy secretariat in the relevant ministry, which will follow all the steps until the final realization. This secretariat consists of experts from relevant departments within the Ministry of Energy and representatives of the program organization.
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