Governing International Rivers Polycentric Politics in the Mekong and the Rhine

‘This superb analysis of water governance in the Rhine and Mekong river basins should be read by everyone interested in the challenges of international water management.’
– Thomas Bernauer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland

‘This is a must read for scholars and water governance practitioners as it addresses the underexploited role of non-state actors and local citizens in the field of international water governance. The book fills in this knowledge gap by offering an inspiring refinement of the theory of polycentricity. Evidence is found by well-written and attractive in-depth case studies dealing with the international clean up of the Rhine and the construction of the Pak Mun Dam in the Mekong basin.’
– Carel Dieperink, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

‘Employing a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between states and nonstate actors, Tun Myint develops a convincing account of the evolution of governance systems for the Rhine and Mekong river basins. In the process, he not only adds to our knowledge of water management at the international level but also deepens our appreciation of the various roles that nonstate actors play in international environmental governance.’
– Oran Young, University of California, Santa Barbara, US

‘Comparative studies of great river systems and the politics of their regulation are rare. Far rarer still, are comparisons of this historical depth, analytical sophistication, attention to local detail and to the contingencies that make breakthroughs possible. Tun Myint’s study of the Rhine and Mekong will inspire and inform future studies of both river and environmental politics.’
– James C. Scott, Yale University, US

This important book employs the theory of polycentricity, a system with several centers as an analytical concept to explain the multilayered international environmental governance of river basins. It introduces a new methodological framework to deconstruct and investigate the dynamics of citizens, states and non-state actors in world politics via the context of river basin governance.

The methodology is tested through in-depth field-based case studies, illustrating how local citizens and industries in the Mekong and Rhine river basins participate in transnational environmental governance at both local and international levels. Tun Myint expertly presents both a methodology and theory to conceive polycentricity of world politics as a major intellectual milestone in theorizing world politics. Providing nuanced details of cases showing the challenges and feasibilities of incorporating multiple actors into a governance framework, the book provides careful analysis into the power of non-state actors.