The journal Sustainability (MDPI) has recently published the scientific article Assessing Governance and Impacts of Water Funds in Colombia: An Institutional Analysis, authored by Juan Diego Restrepo, Mauro Masiero, and Alessandro Leonardi. The study analyzes five Colombian Water Funds affiliated with the Latin American Water Funds Partnership (LAWFP) to understand why some of these mechanisms remain operational over time while others dissolve.
Drawing on Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework — a widely used theoretical tool for studying the governance of common-pool resources — adapted for the analysis of payment for ecosystem services schemes, the research shows that the continuity of Water Funds depends primarily on three factors: the institutional strength of the actors involved, the trust between public and private stakeholders, and the quality of collaboration with regional environmental authorities. Funds structured as independent organizations, with strong roots in local social capital, proved significantly more stable over time.
Etifor contributed to this work through Alessandro Leonardi, co-author of the study and a key figure in the development of the analytical framework. The paper reflects Etifor’s ongoing commitment to research on Payment for Ecosystem Services and water governance, helping to fill a still surprisingly large gap in the scientific literature on these mechanisms.
