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2025-11-26
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Copyright (c) 2025 Nibras Aref Abdalameer, Sundus Serhan Ahmed, Samar Adnan Mahmoud Ali, Bushra Salman Husein, Akram Fadhel Mahdi

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How to Cite
Transboundary Groundwater Management: Legal Structures and Socio-Psychological Drivers of Cooperation
Nibras Aref Abdalameer
Al-Turath University, Baghdad 10013, Iraq
Sundus Serhan Ahmed
Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq
Samar Adnan Mahmoud Ali
Al-Mamoon University College, Baghdad 10012, Iraq
Bushra Salman Husein
Al-Rafidain University College, Baghdad 10064, Iraq
Akram Fadhel Mahdi
Madenat Alelem University College, Baghdad 10006, Iraq
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i11.4108
Keywords: Transboundary groundwater; legal frameworks; environmental governance; comparative law; Compliance behavior trust in institutions; environmental psychology; institutional design; sustainability.
Abstract
Transboundary groundwater resources remain a key yet under-regulated element of international water law. However, many regions do not yet have coherent legal instruments or institutional mechanisms for sustainable and equitable groundwater use across borders in the face of increasing demand for shared aquifer management. This research carries out the first-ever quantitative comparative legal analysis of 162 governance instruments from five global regions, utilizing a suite of newly developed indices that assess legal coverage, governance complexity, and implementation performance. Beyond legal frameworks, the study highlights the socio-psychological dimensions of governance, showing how fairness perceptions, institutional trust, and shared responsibility shape compliance and cross-border cooperation. The results reveal sharp disparities: Europe recorded the highest Weighted Regional Stratification Index (WRSI) at 28.33%, followed by Asia-Pacific at 21%, while Africa (7.34%) and North America (4.78%) lagged significantly. Legal robustness was strongest under the Rhine Groundwater Act with a Normalized Legal Coverage Index (NLCI) of 0.76 and a Sustainability Clause Ratio (SCR) of 0.21, compared to the Jordan Basin Protocol with an NLCI of 0.52 and SCR of 0.13. Governance complexity varied, with the Mekong Pact scoring the highest Multivariate Governance Complexity Index (MGCI = 1.17) but not outperforming the Rhine Act in compliance (Composite Compliance Function, CCF = 10.66). These findings demonstrate that legal clarity, institutional depth, sustainability orientation, and stakeholder trust in cooperative mechanisms are key determinants of successful implementation. By integrating legal assessment with behavioral insights, this study provides a replicable model to enhance governance regimes, emphasizing the need for harmonized, adaptive legal systems that also reflect the psychological realities of interstate cooperation.
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