Graduation Year
2020
Date of Submission
5-2020
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Government
Reader 1
William Ascher
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2020 Stuart M Brown
Abstract
The ecosystems of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia are experiencing significant disruption as a result of climate change and the accelerated development of hydropower infrastructure that has occurred within the region over the past several decades. The degradation of the Mekong’s natural functions threatens the immense productivity of the river both with regard to its fish stock and the delivery of vital sediment to agricultural sites. This thesis examines how and why the Mekong River Commission (MRC), established jointly in 1995 by the governments of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, has failed to ensure the sustainable development of the Mekong, arguing that competing institutions and unstable regional politics have prevented the MRC from becoming an effective institution for the trans-boundary governance of the river. This thesis argues that the MRC must be remade with a legally binding framework in order to fill the role for which it was created.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Stuart, "On the Brink of Collapse: Examining the Failure of Institutional Governance over Hydropower Development in the Mekong Basin" (2020). CMC Senior Theses. 2396.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2396
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
