Energy-water nexus in Mexico: A network-based approach of polycentric governance.

Abstract: By 2050, sixty percent of human population worldwide is going to live in cities. This will increase natural resource consumption to provide products and services in cities. Additionally, current policy making is done through a silo thinking mindset where unintended consequences can undermine natural resources availability. To overcome this problem, I propose to use the urban nexus approach as a starting point of analysis to increase urban resource efficiency. However, the urban nexus proposal has been directed toward measuring material flows which have not proven to provide enough information for policy and decision-making. Studying social flows, such as governance systems adds an essential social perspective to supplement material flows analysis, as governance sets up the conditions for extraction, consumption and disposal of natural resources. Therefore, I look at urban nexus, especially energy-water nexus, under a polycentric governance lens for providing products and services and enhancing natural resource management in Mexico. Additionally, I supplement urban nexus and polycentric governance frameworks by using the social network analysis to understand stakeholders’ relationships between the energy and water sectors in Mexico City. According to my results, Mexico’s energy (electricity) governance system is not polycentric, however, the water sector shares some polycentricity governance traits. Due to these central control rules of resources, some barriers appear, such as diminishing local authorities’ abilities to implement an energy-water nexus project that drives national authorities to be key stakeholders to manage this kind of project. However, polycentric governance has proven useful to propose recommendations to overcome these barriers through strengthening local authority’s capacities. This study contributes by filling the gap between the urban nexus approach and polycentric governance and provides key stakeholders according to current socio-economic settings in Mexico, which can push forward urban nexus initiatives and pave the way to polycentric governance of natural resources.