Work

Groundwater allocation and the question of justice in Iran's rural communities

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article examines Iran's groundwater allocation systems in a transitional context. Over centuries, local governance regimes regulated groundwater as a common-pool resource, which was conducive to distributive justice. However, after Iran's 1979 revolution, ideological policies treated groundwater as an open-access resource associated with equity. This paradigm shift from distributive justice to equity led to the overexploitation of groundwater. The government's perception of equity only gave free rein to those who could afford to drill tube-wells and appropriate common groundwater resources. This article concludes that groundwater justice is unattainable without local governance regimes that can reinstate groundwater as a common-pool resource, rather than as an open-access resource.

Source: Journal of Arid Environments

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105370

Authors: Majid Labbaf Khaneiki, Matthias Schmidt, Abdullah Saif Al-Ghafri, Ali Mohtashami

Institutions: University of Nizwa, University of Augsburg

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Clean water and sanitation, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,200