This study analyzed emergent social learning processes in transboundary river basin cooperation processes in the Zambezi basin using in-depth interviews, observations of participatory workshops, and document review. It evaluated how trust and shared group identities shaped learning spaces and impacted transboundary cooperation. The study found that trust and shared group identities significantly influenced learning spaces and cooperation, highlighting their crucial role in stimulating cooperation but not guaranteeing it. Structural learning spaces, such as institutions, support binding commitments and shared practices, but their success depends on prior trust and shared social identity development.

Caroline K. Lumosi, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Geeske Scholz