采用三年的面板数据实证研究了我国黄河流域灌区灌溉管理方式的转变及其对作物用水的影响。结果表明:2001年以后,黄河流域灌区灌溉管理改革的推进速度进一步加快,而且用水协会转变的速度超过承包管理,成为改革的主导方式。在一些村中,用水协会或承包管理也可能又返回到原来的集体管理。最后,定量分析结果显示,在用水协会转变初期,作物用水能显著减少;但是如果继续推行,节水的效果就不再显著。因而,如何建立长效的节水激励机制继续促进改革绩效的提高是政府部门应该关注的重要问题。

Based on three years' panel data, this paper studies the change of irrigation management patterns and its impacts on crop water use in the irrigation districts of the Yellow River Basin. Research results show that in different periods, the change of irrigation management patterns presented varying characteristics. Generally, in the later periods of the reform (from 2004 to 2007), the Water User Associations (WUAs) accelerated its development, which is quicker than contracting management. However, in the earlier periods of the reform (before 2004), the development of contracting management was promoted more quickly. In addition, the change of irrigation management patterns was bidirectional. Even some villages implemented WUAs or contracting management, and they may be reverted to collective management. This indicates that not all the villages are suitable to adopt the patterns of WUAs and contracting management. Only in those villages in better conditions, such as better irrigation infrastructures, larger irrigated areas by surface water resources, larger cultivated areas and better complementary measures for supporting the reform by the local government, can the reform be sustained. Finally, the quantitative analysis shows that in the early periods of management change, crop water use can be significantly reduced. However, as the implementation of the reform goes on, the reduction of crop water use is not significant. Therefore, how to take measures for water saving and to improve the performance of irrigation management reform in a long term is what the local government should take into account. In future reforms, the government should place emphasis on the change of irrigation management patterns, as well as on the establishment of management mechanisms, such as water saving, so as to ensure the sustainability of the reform of irrigation management. Otherwise the reform will only take effect in the short run and the goal of sustainable utilization of water resources and socio-economy development is hard to realize.