A Critical Approach to International Water Management Trends: Policy and Practice (Palgrave Studies in Water Governance: Policy and Practice)

This edited volume provides a critical discussion of particular trends that are widely recognised to influence water management by comparing them with what is actually happening in the field. Among others, these trends include water security, adaptive or integrative management, and the water-energy-food nexus, which are often presented as essential means to reaching more sustainable and resilient water use. However, the extent to which these trends have managed to structure concrete practices in water management remains uncertain. Informed by empirically grounded research, each chapter of this work engages with a particular approach, concept or theory. Together, they provide a nuanced picture of trends in water management that require universal remedies and global norms. Contents 6 About the Authors 8 List of Figures 9 List of Tables 11 1: Taking Up Practical and Intellectual Challenges Posed by International Water Management Trends: Some Introductory Remarks 12 1 Water Crisis as a Crisis of Governance 14 2 International Water Management Trends: Contexts and Filiations 15 3 Nature of This Volume 17 4 Switzerland as a Laboratory 20 4.1 The Swiss Political System: Specificities 21 4.2 Regulation of the Swiss Water Sector 22 4.3 Emerging Issues and Implementation Challenges 24 5 Structure of This Edited Volume 25 Notes 29 References 29 2: Avoiding the Commons Trap: An Exploration of Local Community Governance of Water in Valais, Switzerland 34 1 Introduction 34 2 From an Eclectic Consensus to a Minimal Definition of LCG 35 3 The Debates Around LCG: Three Points of Controversies 38 3.1 The Delineation of the Community (Ins and Outs) 38 3.2 The Nature of Interactions Within and Around the Community 39 3.3 The Interplay Between the Community and State Actors/Regulations 40 4 The Case of the Valaisan Bisses 41 4.1 Bisses as a Paradigmatic Example of LCG?5 42 4.2 The Delineation of the Community (Ins and Outs) 44 4.3 The Nature of Interactions Within the Community 46 4.4 The Interplay Between the Community and State Actors/Regulations 48 5 Conclusion: Avoiding the “Commons” Trap 49 Notes 51 References 52 3: Integrated Water Resources Management as a Compromise: Renewing the Water Act in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland 56 1 Introduction 56 2 IWRM as a Regionalised Institutional Compromise: Integration and Rescaling 58 2.1 What Should Be Integrated? 58 2.2 Looking for Regulatory Spaces: Is the Watershed Natural? 60 3 IWRM in a Fragmented Context: The Regionalisation of Water Policy in Switzerland 63 3.1 From the Integration of the Institutional Resource Regime to IWRM Promotion 64 3.2 Renewing Fribourg’s Water Act: Four Stages to Shape the Compromise 66 3.2.1 Stage 1 (2001–2006): Cantonal Funds as Original Hubris 67 3.2.2 Stage 2 (2006–2009): Responding to Critiques Addressed to Cantonal Funds 68 3.2.3 Stage 3 (2009–2013): From Cantonal to Regional Funds 69 3.2.4 Stage 4 (2013–2014): Delineating Regulatory Spaces 70 4 Discussion: The Role of Critique for Institutional Change 70 5 Conclusion 73 Notes 74 References 75 4: Transboundary Water Management: From Geopolitics to a Non-state Analytical Perspective: The Case of the Rhône River 81 1 Introduction1 81 2 State of the Art 84 3 Transboundary River Management of the Rhône River 88 3.1 Phase 1: Monofunctionality (1870–1970) 90 3.2 Phase 2: The End of the Hydropower Monopoly (1970–2000) 92 3.3 Phase 3: Towards Increased Integration (2000–Present Day) 93 4 Discussion 96 5 Conclusion 99 Notes 100 References 101 5: From Multi-level Governance to Scalar Politics: Water Community Networks Challenging Neo-Extractivist Governmental Institutions in Ecuador 106 1 Introduction 106 2 From Multi-level Water Governance to Scalar Politics 108 2.1 The Multi-level Water Governance Framework 108 2.2 Scalar Politics and Power Relations in Water Governance 110 3 The Limits of Multi-level Governance: From Legal Reforms to Water Conflicts in Ecuador 112 3.1 Toward a More Coordinated Multi-level Water Governance Architecture? 113 3.2 Neo-Extractivism, State Centrism and Water Conflicts 115 4 Beyond Static Levels and Hierarchy: Water Community Networks and Scalar Politics in Latin America 117 4.1 Inter-community Networks Balancing Power Inequalities in Ecuador 118 4.2 Transnational Water Community Networks in Latin America Breaking Hierarchies 120 5 Conclusion 123 Notes 125 References 127 6: Exploring the Democratic Legitimacy of Privatization in the Water Sector: Two Cases in Switzerland 131 1 Introduction 131 2 Water Management in Western Europe 133 3 Water Privatization in Switzerland 135 3.1 General Trends 135 3.2 Methods for Analysis of Two Water Cases 136 3.2.1 Case Selection 137 3.2.2 Operationalizing Democratic Legitimacy 137 3.2.3 Data Sources and Analysis 138 3.3 Comparison of Water Management in Two Cities 139 3.3.1 Direct Public Management in Zurich 139 3.3.2 Formal Privatization and Delegated Public Management in Berne 140 3.3.3 Democratic Legitimacy 143 3.3.4 Summary 146 4 Discussion and Conclusion 148 Notes 150 References 150 7: Governing Water with Market-Based Instruments: Preferences and Skepticism in Switzerland 155 1 Emerging Pollutants—New Challenges in Water Protection Policy 155 2 Policy Approaches and Instruments for Emerging Water Issues 159 2.1 Source-Directed Policy Approaches 160 2.2 End-of-Pipe Policy Approaches 162 2.3 Control Policy Approaches 163 2.4 Policy Instrument Mixes—A Task That Transcends Policy Fields 164 3 Methodology 165 3.1 Case and Data Gathering 165 3.2 Definition of Policy Instrument Preferences and Data 166 4 Results 169 4.1 Preferences by Type of Policy Instrument 169 4.2 Preferences by Type of Actor 174 4.3 Clusters of Actors with Similar Preference Profiles 176 5 Conclusion 178 Notes 180 References 180 8: Climate Change Adaptation as a New Global Norm in the Water Sector? Between Symbolism and Dilution 185 1 Introduction 185 2 Adaptation Institutionalization in Water Governance: Integration and Interplay Management 188 3 The Normative Content of Adaptation: The Attractiveness of Polysemy 191 4 The Substantive Content of Adaptation: The Gospel of Flexibility and the Omission of Policy and Politics 194 5 Conclusion 199 Notes 200 References 200 9: Water Security as a Normative Goal or as a Structural Principle for Water Governance 209 1 Introduction 209 2 Measuring Water Security: Taking Stock and Main Limitations 213 2.1 Measuring Water Security 213 2.2 The State of Water Security Globally 217 3 Institutional Resource Regime and Water Security 221 3.1 Water Security and Governance Design 221 3.2 Benefits of Governance Extent 224 3.3 Benefits of Governance Coherence 226 4 Water Security and Adaptive Governance to Enhance Governance Integration 228 4.1 Water Security and Adaptive Governance 228 4.2 Benefits for Governance Coherence 229 4.3 Benefits for Governance Extent 231 5 Conclusion 231 Notes 233 References 233 10: Politicizing the Water-Energy Nexus: Hydropower and Instream Values in Two Swiss Cantons’ Water Strategies 240 1 Introduction 240 2 The Water–Energy–Food Nexus 242 2.1 Limits of the Nexus 243 2.2 Nexus and Institutions 245 3 Case Selection and Methods 246 4 Energy-Water Nexus in Switzerland 249 4.1 Swiss Water Policy and the Nexus 250 4.2 The Swiss Electric Sector 251 5 Cantonal Case Studies 252 5.1 Bernese Cantonal Context and Water Strategy 252 5.2 The Water Strategy Process (BE) 254 5.3 Central Features of the Water Use Strategy 255 5.4 Energy-Water Nexus in Bern 257 5.5 Valais Cantonal Context 258 5.6 Valais Water Strategy Process 259 5.7 Valais Water Strategy’s Main Features 260 5.8 Energy-Water Nexus in Valais 261 6 Discussion 261 7 Conclusion 263 Notes 265 References 268 11: From the Promises of International Water Management Trends to the Reality of Policies and Practices: Some Conclusive Thoughts 275 1 Narratives, Nirvanas and Water Management Trends 279 1.1 The Power of “Narratives” 279 1.2 Four Narratives and Nirvanas of International Water Management Trends 281 2 Normative Fuzziness, Polysemy in Practice and Difficulties of Measurement 285 3 Global Norms, Transcoding Processes and Domestic Variables 287 3.1 National and Subnational Institutional Regimes and Values 288 3.2 Sectoral, Scalar and Territorial Structures 290 3.2.1 Policy Sectors 290 3.2.2 Levels of Government 291 3.2.3 Institutional Territories 292 3.3 Power Relations and Social Interactions Between Actors 292 4 Conclusion: Beyond Narratives and Nirvanas 294 References 296 Index 300 Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Taking Up Practical and Intellectual Challenges Posed by International Water Management Trends: Some Introductory Remarks (Christian Bréthaut, Rémi Schweizer)....Pages 1-22 Avoiding the Commons Trap: An Exploration of Local Community Governance of Water in Valais, Switzerland (Rémi Schweizer)....Pages 23-44 Integrated Water Resources Management as a Compromise: Renewing the Water Act in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland (Arnaud Buchs)....Pages 45-69 Transboundary Water Management: From Geopolitics to a Non-state Analytical Perspective: The Case of the Rhône River (Christian Bréthaut)....Pages 71-95 From Multi-level Governance to Scalar Politics: Water Community Networks Challenging Neo-Extractivist Governmental Institutions in Ecuador (Emilie Dupuits)....Pages 97-121 Exploring the Democratic Legitimacy of Privatization in the Water Sector: Two Cases in Switzerland (Eva Lieberherr)....Pages 123-146 Governing Water with Market-Based Instruments: Preferences and Skepticism in Switzerland (Florence Metz, Philip Leifeld)....Pages 147-176 Climate Change Adaptation as a New Global Norm in the Water Sector? Between Symbolism and Dilution (Johann Dupuis)....Pages 177-200 Water Security as a Normative Goal or as a Structural Principle for Water Governance (Thomas Bolognesi, Stéphane Kluser)....Pages 201-231 Politicizing the Water-Energy Nexus: Hydropower and Instream Values in Two Swiss Cantons’ Water Strategies (Luc Tonka)....Pages 233-267 From the Promises of International Water Management Trends to the Reality of Policies and Practices: Some Conclusive Thoughts (Rémi Schweizer, Christian Bréthaut)....Pages 269-293 Back Matter ....Pages 295-305