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Chapter  11:  Recommendations     complexity   and   uncertainty.   They   do   not   specify   blueprints,   but   encourage   sustainable   water   management   tuned   to   the   specific   features   of   local   geography,   ecology,   economies,   political   situations  and  cultures.   12. Before   steps   can   be   taken   to   reinforce   local   capacity,   a   baseline  assessment  of  the  current  problems   and   limitations   is   essential.   Issues   that   should   be   identified   include   the   clarity   and   strength   of   mandates,  institutional  boundaries,  capacities,  tasks,  roles,  responsibilities,  interests  and  involvement   of   all   relevant   stakeholders.   The   possibility   of   elite   capture,   as   observed   within   current   Water   User   Associations   or   Basin   Committees,   should   explicitly   be   avoided.   Proven   methods   exist   to   avoid   elite   capture  during  collective  choice  sessions  and  independent  operation  of  the  committee  (ranging  from   protocols   for   decision-­‐making   to   making   unwanted   behavior   publicly   known),   but   all   possible   solutions  should  be  made  to  measure.     13. For  the  institutional  design  it  is  recommended  to  identify  and  (further)  develop   appropriate   tools   and   instruments  for:     a. monitoring  and  evaluation,     b. graduated  sanctions,     c. collective   choice   arrangements   with   broad   and   horizontal   stakeholder   participation   (e.g.,   involving  respected  elderly  people  who  know  about  traditions),     d. equal  and  fair  (re)  distribution  of  costs,     e. benefits  and  risks  and     f. conflict  prevention  and  resolution  mechanisms   14. For  all  these  institutional  elements,  all  parties  (donor  community,  Yemeni  Government,  civil  society,   etc.)   have   to   be   aware   that   it   is   crucial   to   develop   context-­‐specific   arrangements.   These   arrangements   should   take   the   environment   in   which   local   authorities   and   WUAs   have   to   operate   into   account,  focusing  on  effective  cooperation  between  them,  the  required  capacity  building  and  training   of   staff,   joint   information   production   and   exchange,   how   to   deal   with   corruption,   and   how   to   provide   a  positive  incentive  structure,  which  stimulates  accountability  and  responsiveness.   15. When  common-­‐pool  resources  involve  the  interests  of  multiple  stakeholders,  as  in  the  case  of  larger   (transboundary)   river   basins   or   groundwater   systems,   an   additional   design   principle   needs   to   be   added  in  order  to  ensure  the  foundation  for  a  more  robust  governance  system:  Local  parties  tend  to   only  address  the  local  issues,  whereas  national  parties  tend  to  only  address  the  national  priorities.  In   the   case   of   boundary-­‐crossing   common-­‐pool   resources,   both   the   local   and   national   voices   need   to   be   included   in   decision-­‐making   process.   Therefore,   multi-­‐level   collective   governance   is   needed.   As   collective   governance   does   not   emerge   spontaneously,   it   should   be   built   upon   traditional   governance   structures,  rather  than  (new  external)  state  structures,  with  active  facilitation  and  promotion.     16. Furthermore,   a   river   basin   approach   can   be   developed   and   implemented   step-­‐by-­‐step.   In   the   first   step,   a   river   basin   approach   can   be   used   to   gather   data   on   water   rights,   current   usage   and   interventions   that   might   have   an   impact   on   the   availability   and   distribution   of   water   (e.g.   check-­‐ dams,   deep   wells).   Projecting   these   figures   onto   the   physical   and   socio-­‐economic   changes   helps   to   identify  sources  of  conflict,  as  well  as  to  find  solutions  to  the  conflict.         The Political Economy in Yemen of Water Management: Conflict Analysis and Recommendations  188  of  241