The role of Interorganizational Relationships in the level of effectiveness of Flood Risk Mitigation

Flood risk is considered as a complex and transboundary problem, one that is predicted to intensify due to climate change and hence necessitates it to be governed by a well-coordinated collaborative network of actors. Because it is an accelerating threat, municipal organizations have an imperative and challenging role in their policy practices and governance. In governance networks, micro-level interactions between actors constituting organizations and formulating networks embodies a lot of complexity and uncertainty. Although policy frameworks of Flood Risk Mitigation require for multi-sectoral and collaborative governing mechanisms, there is a recurring pattern of integration between actors implementing policies for planning, water and sewage and considerable disconnection between them and actors executing risk policies. This disconnection fragments the legal frameworks from the networks implementing it, which effects the level of efficiency of flood risk mitigation in municipal administrations. The purpose of this qualitative research is to contribute to the current understanding of centralized and traditional hierarchical multi-actor governance structures by analysing what role Interorganizational relationships (IRS) in policy networks have in effectiveness of Flood Risk Mitigation (FRM), thus using Sindh, Pakistan as a case study, that is most vulnerable to floods. For the purpose of this research, data of a singular urban area was not collected, rather the province of Sindh as a whole was taken into account, as the phenomenon under study is relevant to many urban areas. This qualitative research adopts a single case study strategy framed by primary and secondary data. For collecting primary data, fourteen semi-structured interviews were carried out in total, ten with high level government officers that formulate and implement policy processes in the field of FRM in Pakistan. Four experts were also interviewed who have exceptional knowledge of FRM and disaster management projects. The secondary data was gathered from official documents and official websites regarding the case study to triangulate findings. IRS are defined by environment of the actors that formulate the network, the resource dependencies and power structure, the processes followed to retain resource flow, decisions taken within relevant context for dependencies and exchange, the institutional provisions erected, perception patterns of actors that ensure clarity of values, and information sharing procedures in the network. The analysis of the case study research by conducting an actor and network analysis on the FRM network has identified rich deep qualitative insights and strong linkage between IRS and effectiveness of FRM. The findings suggest a gateway to the lapses and gaps in flood risk mitigation and management and holds promising propositions for future policy makers in similar governance structures to consider network process of policy making and hence integrate knowledge and innovation on urban and human development levels.