Context and Institutions in Irrigation Management: Applicability of Design Principles in Nepal and Thailand1

In this paper we assess the applicability of design principles (Ostrom, 1990) in irrigation management comparing the similarities and differences from Nepal and Thailand (considering the difference in economic situation and nature of irrigation systems). The information comes from the empirical study of 100 irrigation systems, 50 each from Nepal and Thailand representing major river basins and ecological regions in both countries. The results showed that most of the design principles proposed by Ostrom are applicable in irrigation management in Nepal and Thailand. But the level of applicability of each design principles varied across these two countries. Some of them were fully and mostly applicable in both countries. But others were more applicable only in one country, and rarely applicable in another. It was especially due to the difference in the irrigation infrastructure, besides other reasons. Design principle two „congruence ‟ and design principle five „graduate sanctions‟; could not fully capture the existing institutional settings. We have proposed some modifications for wider applicability in the specific conditions