Social network analysis of institutions involved in groundwater resources management: Lessons learned from Iran

The depletion of groundwater resources (GR) in Iran, which is an arid and semi-arid country, has reached a critical level, so managing the remaining of these resources is an urgent need. In this respect, institutions are a key element of GR protection and management and their social capital is instrumental in the management of these resources because social capital can create a synergy in the collective actions of the institutions involved in groundwater resources management (GRM). The present study investigated the social capital of the institutions involved in GRM in Lorestan province located in the west of Iran using social network analysis (SNA). The results showed that the social capital of these institutions was at a low level and most ties belonged to key institutions. Indeed, institutions that are involved in GRM in the study site are heterogeneous in nature and sometimes pursue different and occasionally contradictory goals, which hinders their effective cooperation and the creation of strong social capital among them and diverges their measures.