Water management in Switzerland

decentralization, pragmatism and fragmentation

Abstract

In recent decades, the normative concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) has been spread by international institutions. Thus, world governments adapt their legal and institutional framework to incorporate this concept in a systematic way. However, Switzerland reveals a unique way of understanding this concept, following the characteristics of its federalism. This study indicates how and why the country's water management model does not follow the international IWRM model and what are the main advantages and challenges for water management in a very decentralized country as Switzerland.