Cross-sectoral information and actors' contact networks in natural resource governance in the Swiss Alps

Abstract

Governance of natural resources is challenging due to cross-sectoral dependencies across related sectors such as, for example, water, agriculture, and energy. Actors involved in natural resource governance create network contacts with each other, in order to deal with specific governance issues. An important resource for actors is information, and actors act according to the amount of information they have about other related sectors. In this article, we study how the information actors possess about different sectors is related to their contact network across sectors. We empirically study a case of water management in the Swiss mountain valley of Engadin. We use descriptive and inferential network analysis to show that actors with more information about other sectors establish more contacts in general, as well as with actors from those other sectors. We conclude that successful natural resource governance hinges upon the information that actors have about other sectors related to their sector.