Melesse, Mequanint

Experiential learning games are increasingly applied as participatory engagement tools to improve management of the commons, strengthen self-regulation of resource use and enhance constructive interaction of resource users. Pilot studies have shown that combining games with community debriefings and technical planning instruments can support institutional and behavioral change. Nevertheless, there is poor evidence on the potential of experiential learning games to achieve impact on a larger scale. We applied a package of experiential learning tools for groundwater management in 1779 communities in five states of India. As a largely invisible common pool resource, groundwater management requires effective coordination among users. In India, this coordination is still poor which is one explanation for half of all wells showing falling water tables. Our experiential learning interventions intended to improve water users’ system understanding, strengthen water related norms, support local water governance, and trigger sustainable water management behavior. A rigid impact assessment was conducted in 472 communities in Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Our results indicate that individuals who participated in the interventions more likely reported contributions to the maintenance of community water infrastructure. We also found that women more likely reported to participate in agricultural household decision making after playing the game. At the same time, we did not find the expected effect on knowledge, norm, and institutional change indicators. This challenges our theory of change which assumed that behavioral change follows understanding, norms and institutional change. Our results confirm the ability of experiential learning games to support collective action. At the same time, we see the need to better understand the mechanisms of how they trigger behavioral change, especially when being applied on a larger scale.