Context matters: horizontal and hierarchical network governance structures in Vietnam’s sanitation sector

Abstract

Governance networks describe the complex relations among different types of actors involved in the governance of a policy issue. Here, we ask how different institutional and socioeconomic contextual conditions influence the structure of these networks and result in more horizontal or hierarchical types of governance networks. To answer this question, we study Vietnam's sanitation sector and compare two different provinces, Hanoi and Ben Tre. More specifically, we analyze networks of information exchange among key actors based on face-to-face interviews and prestructured questionnaires. We find that in the highly urbanized capital city of Hanoi, which serves as a national leader of innovation, where national and international actors are present, and where local actors have high capacities, information exchange tends to follow horizontal network structures. In the more rural, typical province of Ben Tre, hierarchical structures dominate.

Social Network Analysis for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Application in Governance of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment in India Using a Novel Validation Methodology

“…For recent applications of SNA on questions of governance in low-and middleincome countries, see e.g.,Brockhaus et al (2014),Andriamihaja et al (2019),Fischer et al (2019),Gorris et al (2019).4 In order to be consistent in terminology, for all the interviews, "small scale sanitation systems" were used to refer to decentralized STPs that serve between 10 and 1,000 households.…”

Collaboration and conflict in complex water governance systems across a development gradient: addressing common challenges and solutions

“…Although most of the articles deal with the difficulties of crossscale collaboration, two articles also included a discussion of challenges to collaboration within scales. Fischer et al (2019) investigated how different institutional histories affect the types of governance networks observed in the sanitation sector in two Vietnamese regions: the urban metropolis of Hanoi and the more rural province of Ben Tre. In Hanoi, local level actors have direct access to national level organizations, as well as donor organizations and other international actors, who typically promote horizontal forms of governance.…”

“…Through their comparative analysis of sanitation management in Vietnam, Fischer et al (2019) illustrated how governance structures have, or have not, responded to policy changes in the sector. The authors discuss how socioeconomic and educational factors may help explain the observed differences in governance https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol24/iss3/art28/ structures between Hanoi and Ben Tre, as well as their implications for sanitation management in a setting in which the national government is seeking to decentralize administrative responsibilities while maintaining control over policy and investment.…”

“…Along with Fischer et al (2019), Cisneros (2019) also highlighted how context is key in determining the outcomes of collaborative processes, particularly in developing countries. In Cisneros' case, the influence of national regulatory authorities over rural watershed councils in Ecuador was illustrated through policy changes that were implemented in 2015.…”

Accountability and governance in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in a developing country context: evidence from Tanzania

“…, 2016). On the other hand, the institutions and socio-political environment of many DCs can provide opportunities for a wider group of actors to interact, negotiate and cooperate (Fischer et al. , 2019).…”