This award will support the research of a cultural anthropologist in developing a large database (over 200 cases) of irrigation systems from about 20 nations. These cases will be measured on several variables, including size and structure of authority. Previous work show no relationship between size and political centralization between 700 and 458,000 Hectares. The relationship between size and structure of authority will be investigated in the new and larger sample. Additional variables include information on climate, nature of irrigation, type of agriculture, and type of national political system, should account for some of the variation. Results should be of interest to management theorists and policy makers who must deal with irrigation projects which are not performing up to standards.
