Water governance models for meeting sustainable development Goals: A structured literature review

Abstract

This article analyzes water governance models in the context of sustainable development. Specifically, it aims to understand which dimensions of these models need to be rethought to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda, especially SDG#6, considering the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We present a broad review of the literature from a database containing 118 publications from 2015 to 2020. The data collection process was structured in two phases: collecting articles from the ISI Web of Science and Google Scholars and a content analysis of the selected papers. The findings highlight that collaboration, coordination and stakeholder engagement are the crucial elements that water governance models should include to address the global sustainability challenge. How these principles can be translated into practice to enhance water resource management at the local level appears crucial but has been under-investigated in the literature, so a clear pathway toward sustainability is lacking. Implications for academia and management are discussed.