Governing jurisdictional fragmentation: Tracing patterns of water governance in Ontario, Canada

This article examines how jurisdictional fragmentation has been addressed in Ontario's governance of the Great Lakes Basin from 1912 to 2012. The water resources literature has frequently lamented fragmentation in water governance and called for integration; however, it infrequently specifies how and what to integrate. By examining key moments in water quality and quantity governance, this study provides insight on how the presence or absence of particular institutional arrangements in the context of jurisdictional fragmentation produced different governance patterns and outcomes. Specifically, to determine governance patterns the study focused on four elements: an institution that facilitates coordination, agreement on roles and responsibilities, agreement on the issue management plan, and the scope of the issue. Combinations of these elements can produce governance patterns that are cooperative, conflictual or reactive and outcomes that are innovative, stagnant, or piecemeal. The study results suggest that when governing in the context of jurisdictional fragmentation efforts may best be directed at particular institutional arrangements. Further, it suggests that jurisdictional fragmentation be understood as a feature of the institutional complexity of water management that can be mobilized to develop unique solutions to multi-scalar water governance challenges.