Different modes of coordination influence performance to tackle sustainability trade-offs in polycentric governance systems

Recent scholarship has called for increased attention to different modes of coordination to better understand and explain the varying performance of polycentric governance systems. This need is particularly acute in situations with strong trade-offs between Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This chapter analyzes how these different processes such as cooperation, competition, and hierarchy emerge in the face of sustainability trade-offs. We analyzed modes of coordination and performance in a polycentric governance system around a planned hydropower dam in the Trift area in the Swiss Alps between 2008 and 2017 as an exemplary case study. Data collection included interviews, participatory observation, and analyses of policy documents, laws, and media news. We used the Network of Action Situations (NAS) approach to analyze simultaneous and dynamic patterns of coordination. The results show that the planned Trift reservoir is expected to create sustainability trade-offs, as evidenced through positive expected impacts and adverse expected impacts on SDG targets.