Applying Legitimacy Theory to Understand Decisions Regarding Costs of Water Infrastructure in Rural Alaska: Fid-Bau Portal

Applying Legitimacy Theory to Understand Decisions Regarding Costs of Water Infrastructure in Rural Alaska

LaPatin, Michaela / Ritsch, Nicola / Armanios, Daniel E. / Albertson, Leif / Faust, Kasey M.

Building and operating rural Alaska water systems can be challenging due to limited local resources, a precarious supply chain, and extreme Arctic conditions. The barriers to successful operations in rural Alaska communities are further exacerbated by a lack of local economic activity, often requiring outside support as a means to fund expansion or repairs for infrastructure systems. Funding for such projects is especially important in rural Alaska due to the extreme arctic weather, which quickly degrades infrastructure, and the effects of climate change, which lead to coastal erosion and tundra subsidence. Recent federal funding is being made available to Alaska tribal and rural communities for the development, expansion, or replacement of water infrastructure systems. As funding is directed to rural Alaska, it is important to understand the needs of the communities, the potential barriers to successful operations, and the perspectives of local water stakeholders who use these systems. Such an understanding will help ensure that funding is allocated appropriately and used effectively for rural water infrastructure projects. We use legitimacy theory here to better understand stakeholders’ perceptions of financial decisions regarding water systems operations, and how they legitimize (or delegitimize) financial decisions in the context of rural Alaska water systems. Suchman defines three major types of legitimacy—pragmatic, moral, and cognitive—which we explore in this study. Building on the foundation of legitimacy theory, and setting this in the context of rural Alaska, we ask the question: How do regional water stakeholders legitimize spending and financial decisions in water systems operations? Analyzing interviews with eight water sector stakeholders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, we evaluate 82 excerpts related to financial decisions. Results show that stakeholders used moral legitimacy most often to support financial decisions. Many participants used consequential or procedural legitimacy, identifying positive outcomes or processes of financial decisions. Many participants also used influence or exchange legitimacy, identifying benefits to their communities or themselves in financial decisions. These results can help stakeholders navigate future communications around financial decision-making.