Governance and the Political Economy of the Water Crisis

In recent years, the water crisis in Iran has become public with manifestations such as drying of lakes, rivers and wetlands, groundwater depletion, land subsidence, water quality degradation, soil erosion, desertification and dust storms and has consequences in various ways. ; However, the main consequences have been the occurrence and intensification of security problems such as the weakening of the legitimacy of the system and national power, insurgency and turmoil, local and regional tensions. Using a descriptive method and using library resources, this study first seeks to describe the water crisis as a security problem in Iran and then to explain the institutionalist model with the aim of policy making. The center of gravity of institutionalist analysis is the emphasis on the role of institutions as an independent variable in shaping the processes and outcomes of individual and collective actions through the enactment and implementation of law. Among these, laws such as the Law on Preservation and Protection of Groundwater Resources, the Law on Water and its Nationalization, and the Law on Fair Distribution of Water are among the laws related to the water basin; But overall, they have not been able to reduce or eliminate the water crisis. Overall, it seems that policy-making based on the institutional model will lead to a better understanding of the inefficiency of past laws and redefine the relationship between institutions involved in water management through new legislation, improved governance and political water economy, and thus reduced security consequences of the water crisis