The impact of rural water districts on state water policy :

Abstract

The interlinks developed into a complex communication system that enabled those public officials involved in the water policy arena to influence legislators and other policy makers, so that policy favorable to the local level of government was promulgated. The study's conclusions suggest that many policy arenas are similarly controlled through networks of public officials and that local people are able to maintain institutions and policies favorable to themselves by working through these networks.

This is a case study of Institution Building, concerned with the formation of rural water districts and how they affect state and national water policy. In-depth interviews were conducted with forty respondents to ascertain the interlinks between rural water district officials and the officials of other local, state, and national government agencies.

Furthermore, as a result of the investigation, federalism is seen as evolutionary and cooperative in its operation rather than as static and adversarial. This cooperation comes as a result of some cooperation of state and national officials by local officials. The use of state and national agencies for finance and planning helps justify the existence of those agencies but also allows local officials and institutions considerable influence over state and national policy.