Designing a Policy-Making Model for the Country’s Water Resources to Improve Productivity in this Industry

The water crisis is one of the most important issues in the near future in Iran, which threatens the lifes of humans and animals. This crisis is more than the result of the lack of water resources; it is the result of unfavorable water governance in Iran, which has brought it to the border of warning. Hence, the purpose of this research is to design a policy-making model for the country's water resources to improve the productivity of this industry in the country. This mixed- method research is exploratory in terms of objectives, and fundamental in terms of audience. In the qualitative phase of this research, the theme analysis method and in the quantitative phase, the structural equation modeling method were used. In the qualitative phase, in order to design the research model, interviews were conducted with 19 experienced experts in water resources who were selected purposefully. Based on the findings, 3 governances, policy and operational gaps were identified. Moreover, 10 strategies for water governance were identified. In the quantitative phase, to validate the research model, 189 managers and specialists in the Ministry of Energy were asked for their opinions using a researcher-made questionnaire; the sample size was calculated using Cochran's formula, and the sampling procedure was simple random. Finally, the results of the research showed that using the ideal model of governance in water resources management policymaking can be effective factors and can create valuable results in order to improve the productivity of the country's water industry.