Your search found 17 records
1 Dittoh, S.; Snyder, K. A.; Lefore, Nicole. 2015. Gender policies and implementation in agriculture, natural resources and poverty reduction: case study of Ghana’s Upper East Region. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 22p. (WLE Research for Development (R4D) Learning Series 3) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2015.205]
Gender ; Women ; Equity ; Agricultural policy ; Policy making ; Agricultural workers ; Agricultural production ; Natural resources ; Poverty ; Funding ; Socioeconomic environment ; Civil society organizations ; Local communities ; Households ; Resource allocation ; Case studies / Ghana / Bawku West / Bongo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047003)
(3 MB)
2 Yeophantong, P. 2017. River activism, policy entrepreneurship and transboundary water disputes in Asia. Water International, 42(2):163-186. (Special issue: Transboundary River Cooperation: Actors, Strategies and Impact). [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2017.1279041]
International waters ; International cooperation ; Conflict ; Water policy ; Water resources ; Water governance ; Entrepreneurship ; River basins ; Dams ; Water power ; Development projects ; Civil society organizations ; State intervention ; Social aspects / Asia / India / Myanmar / China / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Mekong River / Brahmaputra River / Nu-Salween River / Xayaburi Dam
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048011)
(1.87 MB)
This article examines the role of non-state actors – namely, ‘river activists’ – in the management of major transboundary rivers in Asia. Focusing on unresolved disputes over the utilization of the water resources of the Mekong, Nu-Salween and Brahmaputra Rivers, it argues that aside from riparian governments, these activists have contributed considerably to shaping the nature of socio-political contestation in these cases. Drawing upon a ‘policy entrepreneurship’ framework for analysis, civil society actors are revealed to play an important, if not leading, role in catalyzing and framing water disputes at the national and transnational levels, with cascading consequences for regional water governance.
3 Gebrezgabher, Solomie; Odero, J.; Karanja, N. 2018. Biogas from fecal sludge at Kibera communities at Nairobi (Umande Trust, Kenya) - Case Study. In Otoo, Miriam; Drechsel, Pay (Eds.). Resource recovery from waste: business models for energy, nutrient and water reuse in low- and middle-income countries. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.114-123.
Biogas ; Faecal sludge ; Local community ; Health hazards ; Sanitation ; Composts ; Civil society organizations ; Waste management ; Resource recovery ; Supply chain ; Marketing ; Financing ; Socioeconomic environment ; Environmental impact
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H048633)
(1.37 MB)
4 Gore, C. D. 2018. How African cities lead: urban policy innovation and agriculture in Kampala and Nairobi. World Development, 108:169-180. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.03.011]
Urban agriculture ; Towns ; Policies ; Innovation ; State intervention ; Institutional development ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Civil society organizations ; Political aspects / East Africa / Kenya / Uganda / Kampala / Nairobi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048878)
(0.42 MB)
City governments in sub-Saharan Africa have historically been beholden to national governments. Lack of national urban policies and tensions between national and city governments are common. Yet, for decades, research has identified small-scale innovations at the urban scale. Rarely, however, are policy innovations in African cities so influential as to lead national governments to scale up city based actions. This is particularly true in sectors that have been the dominant purview of central governments. This paper examines how citizens, civil society organizations, city governments and national bureaucrats in two cities of East Africa – Kampala and Nairobi – have interacted to produce policy innovation in agriculture. Agriculture has always been a sector of high national importance in Africa, but increasingly cities are becoming focal points for agricultural policy change. The two cities compared in the paper are unusual in having a collection of interests who have been advocating for improved support and recognition of urban food production. Indeed, these cities are rare for having continually promoted the formalization of urban agriculture in local and national policy. While advocacy for urban agriculture is common globally, what is not clear is under what conditions local advocacy produces policy uptake and change. What are the conditions when city-based advocacy deepens the institutionalization of policy support locally and nationally? Drawing from theory and research on policy change and African urban politics and governance, and qualitative data collection in each country, this paper argues that while external, international assistance has helped initiate policy dialogue, domestic civil society organizations and their engagement with local and national bureaucrats are key to policy support at the local and national scales.
5 Isgren, E. 2018. ‘If the change is going to happen it's not by us': exploring the role of NGOs in the politicization of Ugandan agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies, 63:180-189. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.07.010]
Agricultural sector ; Political aspects ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Civil society organizations ; State intervention ; Advocacy ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Mobilization ; Agrifood systems ; Social aspects ; Conflict / Uganda
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048935)
(0.34 MB)
Sustainable agricultural development that prioritizes the needs and respects the rights of smallholder farmers is widely framed as a societal goal by both national governments and international institutions. However, in many places this remains an elusive goal, not least in sub-Saharan Africa. The past decades have seen new types of rural social movements emerge, demanding socially just and environmentally sustainable trajectories of agrarian change. But there are also places where this is seemingly not the case, Uganda being one. Based on qualitative research involving civil society organizations at the national and regional level, this paper analyzes contemporary civil society dynamics around agriculture in Uganda against a historical backdrop. Social division and civil society NGOization have contributed to unfavorable conditions for rural social movement emergence, but not irreversibly. Systematic policy advocacy engagement appears to be on the rise amongst agriculture-oriented NGOs, and while it is generally non-confrontational, contentious claims-making does happen. NGOs also aspire to facilitate farmer-led mobilization, although their logics of intervention differ and would benefit from more dialogue and theoretical grounding. For moving forward in NGOized contexts like Uganda, three points are emphasized: NGO-led and farmer-led mobilization is not a simple dichotomy; their relationship need not be antagonistic and there are several possible ways to seek synergies; and fostering capacity for farmers' contentious claims-making must involve counterhegemonic struggle. The paper ends by suggesting three areas for agri-food scholars interested in the complex interactions between NGOs and rural social movements.
6 Lebel, P.; Lebel, L.; Singphonphrai, D.; Duangsuwan, C.; Zhou, Y. 2019. Making space for women: civil society organizations, gender and hydropower development in the Mekong region. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 35(2):304-324. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2018.1425133]
Gender ; Women's participation ; Empowerment ; Civil society organizations ; Hydropower ; Development projects ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Partnerships ; Negotiation ; Awareness raising / Cambodia / China / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Myanmar / Thailand / Vietnam / Mekong Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049091)
(0.75 MB)
Large-scale hydropower development disrupts local livelihoods and resource access. Adverse impacts are often greater for women than men, but also large for children, the elderly, poorer households and ethnic minorities. Burdens of resettlement often fall disproportionately on already disadvantaged individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how international, national and local civil society organizations (CSOs) have addressed gender in hydropower development in the Mekong Region. Four CSO orientations are distinguished: communitarian, environmentalist, knowledge-based and feminist. Common activities of CSOs were to share information, to expand participation and to mobilize development. The extent to which these activities were promoted and appear to be making space for women depended on the types of CSOs and women and men targeted or otherwise involved.
7 Lebel, L.; Lebel, P.; Manorom, K.; Yishu, Z. 2019. Gender in development discourses of civil society organisations and Mekong hydropower dams. Water Alternatives, 12(1):192-220. (Special issue: Farmer-led Irrigation Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investment, Policy Engagements and Agrarian Transformation).
Civil society organizations ; Gender analysis ; Women in development ; Men ; Empowerment ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Living standards ; Rights based approaches ; Human rights ; Environmental effects ; Strategies / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Vietnam / Cambodia / Thailand / Myanmar / China / Mekong Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049112)
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/for-authors/486-a12-1-12/file
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049112.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049112.pdf
(1.30 MB) (1.30 MB)
'Gender in development' discourses are used to justify interventions into, or opposition to, projects and policies; they may also influence perceptions, practices, or key decisions. Four discursive threads are globally prominent: livelihoods and poverty; natural resources and the environment; rights-based; and managerial. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been vocal in raising awareness about the adverse impacts of large-scale hydropower developments on the environment, on local livelihoods, and on vulnerable groups including women. This discourse analysis first examines how CSOs engaging in hydropower processes in the Mekong Region frame and use gender in development discourses, and then evaluates the potential of these discourses to empower both women and men. Documents authored by CSOs are examined in detail for how gender is represented, as are media reports on CSO activities, interview transcripts, and images. The findings underline how CSOs depend on discursive legitimacy for influence. Their discursive strategies depend on three factors: the organizations’ goals with respect to development, gender, and the environment; whether the situation is pre- or post-construction; and, on their relationships with the state, project developers and dam-affected communities. The implications of these strategies for empowerment are often not straightforward; inadvertent and indirect effects, positive and negative, are common. The findings of this study are of practical value to CSOs wishing to be more reflexive in their work and more responsive to how it is talked about, as it shows the ways that language and images may enhance or inadvertently work against efforts to empower women.
8 Suhardiman, Diana; Kenney-Lazar, M.; Meinzen-Dick, R. 2019. The contested terrain of land governance reform in Myanmar. Critical Asian Studies, 51(3):368-385. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2019.1630845]
Land governance ; Land policies ; Land reform ; Land use ; Land grabbing ; State intervention ; Civil society organizations ; Donors ; Political aspects ; Legal aspects ; Land law ; Farmers ; Land rights ; Social aspects / Myanmar
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049252)
(1.38 MB)
State control of land plays a critical role in producing land dispossession throughout the Global South. In Myanmar, the state’s approach towards territorial expansion has driven the country’s system of land governance, resulting in widespread and systemic land grabbing. This article investigates ongoing land governance reforms as key terrains for contesting such abuses of power. Employing a relational land governance approach, we view reform processes as shaped by changing power-laden social relations among government, civil society, and international donor actors. Legal and regulatory reforms in Myanmar potentially act as sites of meaningful social change but in practice tend to maintain significant limitations in altering governance dynamics. Civil society organizations and their alliances in Myanmar have played an important role in opening up policy processes to a broader group of political actors. Yet, policies and legal frameworks still are often captured by elite actors, becoming trapped in path dependent power relations.
9 Joshi, Deepa; Platteeuw, J.; Teoh, J. 2019. The consensual politics of development: a case study of hydropower development in the eastern Himalayan region of India. New Angle: Nepal Journal of Social Science and Public Policy, 5(1):74-98. (Special issue: Water Security and Inclusive Water Governance in the Himalayas)
Hydropower ; Development projects ; Political aspects ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Civil society organizations ; State intervention ; Climate change mitigation ; Policies ; Dams ; Social aspects ; Case studies / India / Eastern Himalayan Region / West Bengal / Sikkim / Darjeeling / Dzongu / Teesta River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049736)
http://www.nepalpolicynet.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/5_Joshi-et-al-2019.pdf#page=4
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049736.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049736.pdf
(3.69 MB) (3.69 MB)
Criticism and contestation of large dam projects have a long, strong history in India. In this paper, we analyze diverse civil-society responses to large dam projects in the Eastern Himalaya region of India, which has in the past decades been presented as a clean, green, climate-mitigating way of generating energy, but critiqued for its adverse impacts more recently. We draw our findings primarily based on interviews with NGOs involved in environmental and/or water issues in Darjeeling, interviews with those involved in a local people’s movement ‘Affected Citizens of Teesta’, and participatory research over the course of three years between 2015 and 2018. Our findings show how doing development for the state, the market and/or donor organizations compromises the ability of NGOs in the Darjeeling region to hold these actors accountable for social and environmental excesses. In the same region, dam projects in North Sikkim led to a local people’s movement, where expressions of indigeneity, identity and place were used to critique and contest the State’s agenda of development, in ways that were symptomatically different to NGOs tied down by relations of developmental bureaucracy. Our findings reveal how the incursion of State authority, presence and power in civil-society undermines the civil society mandate of transformative social change, and additionally, how the geographical, political, institutional and identity-based divides that fragment diverse civil-society institutions and actors make it challenging to counter the increasingly consensual politics of environmental governance.
10 Suhardiman, Diana; Karki, Emma; Bastakoti, Ram C. 2021. Putting power and politics central in Nepal’s water governance. Development Policy Review, 39(4):569-587. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12519]
Water governance ; Political systems ; Water resources ; Water management ; Development planning ; Bureaucracy ; Federalism ; Political parties ; Decision making ; Central government ; Stakeholders ; Government agencies ; Civil society organizations ; River basins ; Hydropower ; Development projects / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049871)
(0.59 MB)
Motivation: Power relations, and the politics shaping and reshaping them, are key to determining influence and outcomes in water governance. But current discourse on water governance tends to present decision-making as neutral and technical unaffected by political influences.
Purpose: Taking Nepal as a case, this article examines the close interlinkages between bureaucratic and political competition that indirectly influence decisions and outcomes on water governance, while placing this within the context of state transformation.
Approach and Methods: An in-depth case study examines the interactions of politicians and bureaucrats shaping decisions on water governance. It draws on semi-structured interviews and power-mapping to reveal insights from key stakeholders with decision-making power in national management of water resources.
Findings: Political competition drives the country’s development agenda and planning, resulting in fragmented development planning. It works in tandem with the prevailing bureaucratic competition in water resources management. It highlights the need to link the discourse and analysis water governance with processes of state transformation. The current fragmented development planning processes could serve as entry points for civil society groups and the wider society to convey their voice and exert their influence.
Policy implications: Following federalism, the political transfer of power and decision-making, to achieve political representation and social justice, rests with locally elected governing bodies. This coincides with the government’s push to manage water resources through river basin planning. There is a need for greater participation from the local governing bodies and understanding of politics and power shape water governance.
Purpose: Taking Nepal as a case, this article examines the close interlinkages between bureaucratic and political competition that indirectly influence decisions and outcomes on water governance, while placing this within the context of state transformation.
Approach and Methods: An in-depth case study examines the interactions of politicians and bureaucrats shaping decisions on water governance. It draws on semi-structured interviews and power-mapping to reveal insights from key stakeholders with decision-making power in national management of water resources.
Findings: Political competition drives the country’s development agenda and planning, resulting in fragmented development planning. It works in tandem with the prevailing bureaucratic competition in water resources management. It highlights the need to link the discourse and analysis water governance with processes of state transformation. The current fragmented development planning processes could serve as entry points for civil society groups and the wider society to convey their voice and exert their influence.
Policy implications: Following federalism, the political transfer of power and decision-making, to achieve political representation and social justice, rests with locally elected governing bodies. This coincides with the government’s push to manage water resources through river basin planning. There is a need for greater participation from the local governing bodies and understanding of politics and power shape water governance.
11 Unver, O.; Kay, M.; Chavva, K.; Amali, A. A.; Pek, E.; Salman, M. 2021. Development for water, food and nutrition in a competitive environment — How NGOs and CSOs are reshaping traditional farmer irrigation advisory services. Irrigation and Drainage, 70(3):431-447. (Special issue: Development for Water, Food and Nutrition Security in a Competitive Environment. Selected Papers of the 3rd World Irrigation Forum, Bali, Indonesia) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2444]
Agricultural extension ; Advisory services ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Civil society organizations ; Smallholders ; Farmer-led irrigation ; Water governance ; Food security ; Nutrition ; Irrigation management ; Sustainable development ; Water management ; Community organizations ; Private sector ; Markets ; Business models ; Developing countries ; Livelihoods / Africa / Bangladesh / India / Jordan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050477)
(0.21 MB)
In spite of the 30% increase in the food supply since 1961, significant changes are anticipated over the coming decades that will increase the challenges facing smallholders. Climate change, rapidly growing population and increasing pollution all add to the risks of water and food security. This is happening at a time when water resources management is shifting away from government planning and control to a more adaptive and flexible model involving more stakeholders, whereby farmers and smallholders are increasingly involved in decision-making and governance of water resources. Many governments, however, continue to look to their smallholders to increase food production and to find ways to produce more with less. Farmers, thus, will need to find new ways of learning and rely more on their own resources, on the private sector and on support from civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations.
This paper examines the changing nature of farmer support services, focusing on the role played by emerging non-institutional actors. As water becomes the limiting resource for food production, it is crucial to understand how food markets are growing and can incentivize smallholders to produce more, and critically, how farmers are finding new ways of acquiring the knowledge and expertise they need.
This paper examines the changing nature of farmer support services, focusing on the role played by emerging non-institutional actors. As water becomes the limiting resource for food production, it is crucial to understand how food markets are growing and can incentivize smallholders to produce more, and critically, how farmers are finding new ways of acquiring the knowledge and expertise they need.
12 Rathod, Roshan; Kumar, Manish; Mukherji, Aditi; Sikka, Alok; Satapathy, K. K.; Mishra, A.; Goel, S.; Khan, M. 2021. Resource book on springshed management in the Indian Himalayan Region: guidelines for policy makers and development practitioners. New Delhi, India: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); New Delhi, India: NITI Aayog, Government of India; New Delhi, India: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 40p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2021.230]
Water springs ; Water management ; Guidelines ; Best practices ; Policies ; Technology ; Financial analysis ; Funding ; Water security ; Aquifers ; Water budget ; Groundwater recharge ; Monitoring ; Remote sensing ; Geographical information systems ; Impact assessment ; Scaling ; Data management ; Databases ; Hydrogeology ; Discharges ; Payments for ecosystem services ; Water user groups ; Civil society organizations ; Government agencies ; Stakeholders ; Participatory approaches ; Community involvement ; Citizen science ; Capacity development ; Awareness-raising ; Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Livelihoods ; Villages ; Isotope analysis / India / Himalayan Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050807)
(17.8 MB)
13 Ulibarri, N.; Ajibade, I.; Galappaththi, E. K.; Joe, E. T.; Lesnikowski, A.; Mach, K. J.; Musah-Surugu, J. I.; Alverio, G. N.; Segnon, A. C.; Siders, A. R.; Sotnik, G.; Campbell, D.; Chalastani, V. I.; Jagannathan, K.; Khavhagali, V.; Reckien, D.; Shang, Y.; Singh, C.; Zommers, Z.; The Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative Team. 2022. A global assessment of policy tools to support climate adaptation. Climate Policy, 22(1):77-96. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2021.2002251]
Climate change adaptation ; Policies ; Assessment ; Government ; Civil society organizations ; Equity ; Vulnerability ; Communities ; Capacity development ; Sustainable development ; Infrastructure ; Economic aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050919)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14693062.2021.2002251?needAccess=true
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050919.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050919.pdf
(4.13 MB) (4.13 MB)
Governments, businesses, and civil society organizations have diverse policy tools to incentivize adaptation. Policy tools can shape the type and extent of adaptation, and therefore, function either as barriers or enablers for reducing risk and vulnerability. Using data from a systematic review of academic literature on global adaptation responses to climate change (n = 1549 peer-reviewed articles), we categorize the types of policy tools used to shape climate adaptation. We apply qualitative and quantitative analyses to assess the contexts where particular tools are used, along with equity implications for groups targeted by the tools, and the tools’ relationships with transformational adaptation indicators such as the depth, scope, and speed of adaptation. We find diverse types of tools documented across sectors and geographic regions. We also identify a mismatch between the tools that consider equity and those that yield more transformational adaptations. Direct regulations, plans, and capacity building are associated with higher depth and scope of adaptation (thus transformational adaptation), while economic instruments, information provisioning, and networks are not; the latter tools, however, are more likely to target marginalized groups in their design and implementation. We identify multiple research gaps, including a need to assess instrument mixes rather than single tools and to assess adaptations that result from policy implementation.
14 Ahabwe, G. Z.; Batega, D. W.; Ssewaya, A.; Niwagaba, C. B. 2022. Governance conundrum in pursuit of the human right to water and sanitation: tracking the progress of the leave-no-one-behind principle in Uganda. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 13(1):83-95. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.079]
Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Human rights ; Governance ; Water rights ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Water supply ; Communities ; Gender equality ; Women ; Households ; Vulnerability ; Legislation ; Local government ; Non-governmental organizations ; Civil society organizations ; Private sector ; Policies / Uganda / Kampala
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051053)
https://iwaponline.com/jwcc/article-pdf/13/1/83/996793/jwc0130083.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051053.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051053.pdf
(0.34 MB) (348 KB)
The Government of Uganda is a party to numerous international and national commitments, laws and regulatory frameworks to deliver the socio-economic transformation of its citizens. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commit states, Uganda inclusive, to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. According to the SDG 6 resolutions, the rights to water and sanitation are legally binding upon states, which have the primary responsibility to ensure their full realization, including unserved and under-served areas. While the SDGs came into force after 2015, it is not clear the extent to which Uganda's policies, legal instruments and practice are aligned to the SDGs. A combined methodology was adopted to undertake the study under a cross-sectional design. The study reviewed relevant literature such as sector performance reports on water and sanitation. Purposive sampling was used to select relevant informants for primary data. Key informant interviews were held with representatives of relevant government agencies, United Nations agencies, civil society organisations, indigenous communities and the private sector. Findings indicate that while the Government of Uganda has made tremendous efforts regarding the right to water and sanitation, enormous challenges and gaps remain. For instance, the pro-poor strategies to access safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are largely insignificant.
15 Suhardiman, Diana; Manorom, K.; Rigg, J. 2022. Institutional bricolage (re)shaping the different manifestations of state-citizens relations in Mekong hydropower planning. Geoforum, 134:118-130. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.07.001]
Hydropower ; Planning ; Decision making ; Institutional development ; Local communities ; Civil society organizations ; Collective action ; Strategies ; Transboundary waters ; Water governance ; Political power ; Villages ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Compensation ; Negotiation ; Social aspects ; Development projects ; Dams ; Case studies / Thailand / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Mekong River / Pak Beng Hydropower Dam / Khamkong / Thongngam / Viang Somboon / Ing Doi / Huai Sung
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051301)
(5.52 MB)
Concerns over hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin and elsewhere include not only the overall impacts of dams on basin ecology and economy but also more site-specific impacts on affected communities. While hydropower development is impacting the livelihoods of local communities living along the river, the latter’s views and concerns are often sidelined by top-down hydropower planning. Nonetheless, local communities create and shape their political spaces of engagements in relation to hydropower decision making across scales, albeit through various means and with different results. Taking the planned Pak Beng hydropower dam as a case study and building on the concept of institutional bricolage, we look at: 1) local communities’ responses in Thailand and Laos, including how these are influenced by social movements; 2) how these responses are translated into collective action (or the lack thereof), including in relation to local communities’ (in)ability to negotiate better compensation for their to be impacted livelihoods; and 3) how local communities strategies are embedded in the wider political context and different manifestations of state-citizens relations. We argue that while affected farm households can pursue their interests to secure proper compensation through individual means, this leads to sub-optimal outcomes for affected communities collectively.
16 Tuffour, O. K. 2023. A comparative review of the Ghana national water policy and the African development bank water and sanitation policy: implications for sustainable development. Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 1(1):33-43. [Special issue: on Water]
Water governance ; Sustainable development ; Water policies ; Sanitation ; Development banks ; Stakeholders ; Integrated water resources management ; Infrastructure ; Local communities ; Civil society organizations ; Monitoring / Africa / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052202)
https://www.jesd.uesd.edu.gh/index.php/main/article/view/52/22
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052202.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052202.pdf
(0.15 MB) (148 KB)
Purpose –– This review examines the Ghana National Water Policy and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Water and Sanitation Policy, focusing on their objectives, key focus areas, implementation strategies, and overall effectiveness in promoting sustainable water and sanitation governance.
Methods –– The study through desk study and content analysis analyses the strengths, achievements, challenges, and gaps in
both policies and provides recommendations for enhancing their impact.
Findings –– The review finds that the Ghana National Water Policy emphasizes integrated water resources management,
equity, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring mechanisms. It highlights the policy's achievements in improving water access
and sanitation services, promoting participatory approaches, and establishing institutional frameworks.
Conclusion & Recommendation –– The study underscores the need for collaboration among stakeholders, adequate financial
resources, and continuous learning and knowledge sharing to address the challenges and gaps in water and sanitation policies.
Keywords –– Water Governance, Sustainable Development, Ghana National Water Policy, African Development Bank
Methods –– The study through desk study and content analysis analyses the strengths, achievements, challenges, and gaps in
both policies and provides recommendations for enhancing their impact.
Findings –– The review finds that the Ghana National Water Policy emphasizes integrated water resources management,
equity, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring mechanisms. It highlights the policy's achievements in improving water access
and sanitation services, promoting participatory approaches, and establishing institutional frameworks.
Conclusion & Recommendation –– The study underscores the need for collaboration among stakeholders, adequate financial
resources, and continuous learning and knowledge sharing to address the challenges and gaps in water and sanitation policies.
Keywords –– Water Governance, Sustainable Development, Ghana National Water Policy, African Development Bank
17 Raut, M.; Rajouria, Alok. 2022. Rural water supply systems in Nepal: factors affecting equitable access to water. New Angle: Nepal Journal of Social Science and Public Policy, 8(1):1-20. (Special issue: Understanding the Changing Livelihoods, Vulnerability and COVID-19 Pandemic) [doi: https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v8i1.65]
Water supply ; Rural communities ; Water availability ; Equity ; Water management ; Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Women ; Water, sanitation and hygiene ; COVID-19 ; Water user groups ; Institutions ; Civil society organizations ; Governance ; Households ; Case studies / Nepal / Dailekh / Sarlahi / Gurans Rural Municipality / Chandranagar Rural Municipality
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052327)
https://newangle.sias-southasia.org/index.php/new/article/view/65/67
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052327.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052327.pdf
(0.56 MB) (572 KB)
Equity in rural water supply systems has been a major concern of users, policymakers, and practitioners in Nepal. Communities continue to face persistent inequities in access to safe water amid the changing livelihood environment due to migration, the transition to federalism, and entrenched social hierarchies. In this situation, increasing competition for water, a resource that continues to diminish due to natural and anthropogenic causes, has aggravated disparities in access. It is usually the poor and marginalised groups who are disproportionately affected. The long-standing factors hindering equitable access to an adequate water supply amidst the COVID-19 pandemic when water is necessary for handwashing needs a sustainable resolution. Based on the learnings of a three-year research project that aimed to understand the role of gender and power dynamics in the functionality of community water systems, this paper provides insights into collective water management practices and equity amidst the pandemic. Evidence from the study shows deficiencies in community institutions created for inclusive and sustainable management of local water sources. The paper argues that achieving gender and social inclusion in community water management requires going beyond the implementation of prescribed quotas for women and under represented minority groups. Our learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the importance of equitable access to safe water and emphasise how low-income households are at higher risk of contracting the virus through shared water infrastructures. A household survey, together with a mix of qualitative methods, were the primary sources of data. Based on data from the case study sites—Ward No. 8, Gurans Rural Municipality, Dailekh district and Ward No. 6, Chandranagar Rural Municipality, Sarlahi district—we conclude that changing socio-economic contexts, prevailing social norms and practices, and premature and frequent infrastructure breakdown are barriers to fair and equitable access to water, and that local governments’ enhanced authority is a new opportunity.
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