Identifying Regime Transitions for Water Governance in the Yellow River Basin, China

Water governance determines “who gets water, when, and how” in most large river basins. Shifts in water governance regimes from natural to social-ecological or “hydrosocial” carry profound implications for human wellbeing; identifying regime changes in water governance is critical to navigating social-ecological transitions and guiding sustainability. We characterized water governance along with the three main aspects—stress, purpose, and allocation—to develop a quantitative integrated water governance index (IWGI) at a basin scale. Applying the IWGI to the rapidly changing Yellow River Basin (YRB) in China clarifies shifts in water governance between massive supply, transformation governance, and adaptation-oriented regimes. In the YRB, the underlying causes of regime shifts were increasing water supply and demand before the governance transformation and re-allocation and regulation after the change. The IWGI offers a comprehensive and straightforward approach to linking water governance regimes to sustainability, providing valuable insights into hydrosocial transitions.