Analysis of Actor Positions and Institutional Conflicts in Water Governance in Khuzestan

Water governance in Khuzestan Province, particularly in the Karkheh River Basin, is a complex and multifaceted process involving multiple stakeholders. Adopting a network perspective can provide a systematic and analytical approach to studying this complexity. This research aims to analyze the network of institutional relationships and conflicts in Khuzestan's water governance using a mixed-method approach. To this end, 43 water governance-related institutions were identified as the social boundary of the network using snowball sampling method. To examine institutional relationships, a questionnaire about the intensity of interactions between these institutions was distributed and completed by the respective representatives. These institutions were categorized based on their predominant roles, and social network analysis indicators were measured at the micro level of the network. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine inter-institutional conflicts. Results of the centrality indices indicated that the Provincial Government holds the highest out-degree centrality (90.48%), betweenness centrality (5.1%), and closeness centrality (97.67%), indicated the significant political influence, control power, mediation role, independence, and access to resources and information, thus playing a prominent role in the water governance network. Moreover, the Khuzestan Water and Power Authority with the highest in-degree centrality of 92.86%, held the greatest political authority. The distribution of centrality measures revealed that, despite the significant role of intermediate subgroups in facilitating institutional cooperation, they have low out-degree and betweenness centrality, with asymmetric power distribution. In the conflict network, the Khuzestan Water and Power Authority receives the highest number of conflict ties, while the Environmental Protection Organization has the most conflicts with others. The presence of severe conflicts between the Khuzestan Water and Power Authority, Department of Environment and Agricultural Jihad Organization underscore the need to resolve these conflicts and strengthen coordination in water governance decision-making. Understanding these interactions and conflicts among institutions can assist policymakers in achieving effective water governance