Political Power Play in Bulgaria’s Irrigation Sector Reform

Abstract

This article aims at explaining the extent to which the state and international donors intervene in Bulgaria’s irrigation sector by enforcing legislation in the transition country. The process of designing national irrigation sector policy reform and, in particular, its implementation in post-socialist Bulgaria is understood as an intended process influenced by the respective political power holders. Four subsequent legislations which determine Bulgaria’s irrigation sector policy are therefore analyzed with aspects of the public choice theory of institutional change. Empirical examples emphasize how state authorities extend their decision-making power by the way regulations are implemented and how individual actors extract private short-term rents from the resource system. Commitment of political leaders is shown to be a decisive determinant for effective devolution-oriented policy implementation in natural resource management.