Comparative framework for understanding estuary governance: Theory and examples

The University of Rhode Island is conducting a three-year interdisciplinary study funded by Sea Grant to describe and compare the conditions, uses and experience of governance in four U. S. estuaries: Narragansett, San Francisco, Delaware and Galveston Bays. As part of the larger effort the authors have developed a theoretical framework which places a positive model of the process in the context of the unique attributes of policy making for ecosystems, with special emphasis on the development and behavior of governance institutions. This paper describes the framework drawing upon examples from case studies in Narragansett and San Francisco Bays