Power, Development, and Institutional Change: Participatory Governance in the Lower Mekong Basin

One of the central challenges for the multitude of actors concerned with the governance of transboundary river basins is how to produce meaningful mechanisms for promoting the participation of a broad cross-section of actors in resource planning and management decisions. This paper elucidates recent efforts to enhance policies of public participation within the context of governance in the Lower Mekong basin. The paper concludes that while the obstacles to institutionalizing public participation are substantial, some modicum of genuine participation, that may in time contribute to a broader project of transformation, can emerge within intergovernmental development institutions, albeit through surprising means.