Stefanus M.M. Kuks

The evolution of National Water Regimes in Europe

Preface.- List of contributors.- 1. Introduction to Institutional Resource Regimes: Comparative framework and theoretical background I. Kissling-Naf, S. Kuks.- 2. The Sustainability Performance of National Resource Regimes S. Kuks.- 3. The Evolution of European Water Policy: Towards integrated resource management at EU level D. Aubin, F. Varone.- 4. The Evolution of the Water Regime in the Netherlands S. Kuks.- 5. The Evolution of the Water Regimes in Belgium D. Aubin, F. Varone.- 6. The Evolution of the Water Regime in France I. Sangare and C. Larrue.- 7. The Evolution of the Water Regime in Spain M. Costeja, N. Font, A. Rigol, J. Subirats.- 8. The Evolution of the Water Regime in Italy A. Goria, N. Lugaresi.- 9. The Evolution of the Water Regime in Switzerland C. Mauch, E. Reynard.- 10. Comparative Review and Analysis of Regime Changes in Europe S. Kuks.

Integrated Governance and Water Basin Management

The research in this book has some specific characteristics. While we did not look only from the perspective of immissions or emissions for the protection of habitats, but took a resource perspective, a greater variation of uses and users was drawn into the analysis. Nor did we not restrict ourselves to a public policy perspective or a property and use rights perspective, but combined the two, both theoretically and empirically.

Governance of water resources

This book is based on the results of the European research project EUWARENESS: European Water Regimes and the Notion of a Sustainable Status. In this project we focused on the sustainable use of water resources, to be achieved by means of integrated water management. Our aim is to develop a better understanding of the dynamic relationships between various conflicting uses of water resources, the regimes under which these uses of water resources are managed, and conditions generating regime shifts towards sustainability. The editors of this book have coordinated the project, in which research groups from six European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland) participated. For these six countries we studied the long-term evolution of national regimes over a period of more than a hundred years. We also studied in greater depth the specific regime transitions of two selected water basins in each country during the last three decades. Important questions have been: Do integrated water regimes lead to more sustainable water use? What are important indicators for integrated water regimes? Under what conditions can integrated water regimes be achieved? What could be the influence of Europe and national conditions, to achieve regime transitions at water basin scale?

Ten building blocks for sustainable water governance: an integrated method to assess the governance of water

A three-step interdisciplinary method to assess approaches to water shortage, water quality and flood risks is presented. This method, based on water system analysis, economics, law and public administration, seeks to create common understanding based on newly developed concepts and definitions. First, generating content knowledge about the water system and about values, principles and policy discourses. Second, providing an organizational process with sufficient stakeholder involvement, insight into the trade-off between social objectives, and attribution of responsibilities in addition to regulations and agreements. Finally, implementing the agreed service level through adequate infrastructure, enforcement and conflict resolution.

Water governance regimes: Dimensions and dynamics

The concept of water governance is distinctive through its focus on not only public in- tervention, but also on self-organisation as a way to deal with water issues. This article first elaborates a framework with five dimensions to describe governance regimes. Thereafter it illustrates and uses this analytical framework with a cross country comparison of the evolu- tion towards more integrated water governance regimes. Furthermore four qualities of such regimes are introduced and used to assess the degree to which a governance regime is support- ive for integral and adaptive water management. Lastly the article explores how governance regimes evolve over time and what forces shape this combination of stability and dynamics.

Participation at the local level in the context of environmental governance

Although most attention is likely to be paid to local issues in local participatory processes, there is no firm reason to restrict participation at that level to local issues only. By distinguishing several levels of governance (sub-national, national, international and global) and focusing on various functions of governance (public agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation and self-managed activities), it is argued that local authorities and other local organisations can play a part at almost all levels of governance. The strong presence and participation of local interests at the local level may even provide opportunities for policy-making at higher levels of governance. This is because the integration of interests that has to take place at the local level may provide an opportunity for local government to develop a more integrated vision of public policy than the highly specialised branches of national government. Moreover, popular inputs to local policy processes can be assumed usually to be less structured according to content than the organisation of government. When dealing with a style of policy in which support for environmental policy measures is sought by consulting different groups in society, the local level also has the advantage of being close to individuals and groups that are more inaccessible at the national level.