Spatial-temporal differences, obstacle factors, and influencing factors of provinces’ water governance efficiency in China

Abstract

Based on the theoretical framework of the social-ecological system and the theory of ecosystem services and sustainable development, this study evaluates the framework for water governance efficiency with spatial-temporal comparability and analyzes the influencing factors of water governance efficiency. The comprehensive evaluation model is established by integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process-Entropy Weight-Ideal Solution Model, and Obstacle Degree-Tobit Model to identify the spatial-temporal differences in provinces’ water governance efficiency, key obstacle factors, and influencing factors of water governance efficiency in China. The results show that, first, the provinces’ overall index value of water governance efficiency increased from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan to the midterm of the 14th Five-Year Plan, with the mean value rising from 0.779 to 0.837. Breakthrough progress was achieved in water-saving control capacity, while intensive utilization and safety capacities showed gradual convergence across provinces. However, environmental protection and ecological restoration capacities demonstrate an increasingly pronounced divergence among provincial jurisdictions. Second, the constraints on the provinces’ water governance evolved from a “double bottleneck” of environmental protection and ecological restoration to a “four-dimensional bottleneck” of intensive utilization, safety guarantee, environmental protection, and ecological restoration in China. However, the priorities for water governance differ among the provinces. Third, socioeconomic governance systems had a significant positive impact on water governance efficiency. Among these factors, the levels of economic development, technological innovation, and water conservancy investment were key obstacles to water governance efficiency. By contrast, active international trade and an imbalanced water-usage structure imposed negative constraints on water governance. The impact of water resource endowment on water governance efficiency was insignificant. Policy recommendations have been proposed to improve the water governance efficiency in China’s provinces.