Making Watershed Partnerships Work: A Review of the Empirical Literature

Abstract

Two main goals are achieved in this review of the empirical literature on factors affecting conflict resolution in watershed partnerships. The first is an assessment of two public policy theories relevant to partnership structure and function. The second is a set of practical suggestions for designing successful partnerships. The 37 available studies collectively identified 210 “lessons learned,” which were grouped into 28 thematic categories. The most frequently recurring themes are the necessity of adequate funding (62% of the studies), effective leadership and management (59%), interpersonal trust (43%), and committed participants (43%). Exploratory factor analysis was used to search for patterns in the lessons. Four factors were identified, which together explain 95% of the variance in the 28 themes. The first two factors emphasize the importance of (1) balancing the partnership's resources with its scope of activities; and (2) employing a flexible and informal partnership structure. The third and fourth factors offer modest support for two theoretical perspectives on collaborative resource management—the alternate dispute resolution framework and the institutional analysis and development framework.