摘要：The notion that effective environmental governance depends in part on achieving a reasonable fit betweeninstitutional arrangements and the features of ecosystems and their interconnections with users has been central to much thinkingabout social-ecological systems for more than a decade. Based on expert consultations this study proposes a set of six dimensionsof fit for water governance regimes and then empirically explores variation in measures of these in 28 case studies of nationalparts of river basins in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa drawing on a database compiled by the Twin2Go project. Thesix measures capture different but potentially important dimensions of fit: allocation, integration, conservation, basinization,participation, and adaptation. Based on combinations of responses to a standard questionnaire filled in by groups of experts ineach basin we derived quantitative measures for each indicator. Substantial variation in these measures of fit was apparent amongbasins in developing and developed countries. Geographical location is not a barrier to high institutional fit; but within basinsdifferent measures of fit often diverge. This suggests it is difficult, but not impossible, to simultaneously achieve a high fitagainst multiple challenging conditions. Comparing multidimensional fit profiles give a sense of how well water governanceregimes are equipped for dealing with a range of natural resource and use-related conditions and suggests areas for priorityintervention. The findings of this study thus confirm and help explain previous work that has concluded that context is importantfor understanding the variable consequences of institutional reform on water governance practices as well as on social andenvironmental outcomes
关键词：comparative analysis; indicators; institutional fit; measuring fit; river basin management; water governance
