Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges

This article reviews and contrasts two approaches that water security researchers employ to advance understanding of the complexity of water-society policy challenges. A prevailing reductionist approach seeks to represent uncertainty through calculable risk, links national GDP tightly to hydro-clima...

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Main Authors: Zeitoun, M., Lankford, B.A., Krueger, T., Forsyth, T., Carter, R., Hoekstra, A.Y., Taylor, R., Varis, O., Cleaver, F., Boelens, R., Swatuk, L., Tickner, D., Scott, Christopher A., Mirumachi, N., Matthews, Nathaniel
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/78532
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author Zeitoun, M.
Lankford, B.A.
Krueger, T.
Forsyth, T.
Carter, R.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Taylor, R.
Varis, O.
Cleaver, F.
Boelens, R.
Swatuk, L.
Tickner, D.
Scott, Christopher A.
Mirumachi, N.
Matthews, Nathaniel
author_browse Boelens, R.
Carter, R.
Cleaver, F.
Forsyth, T.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Krueger, T.
Lankford, B.A.
Matthews, Nathaniel
Mirumachi, N.
Scott, Christopher A.
Swatuk, L.
Taylor, R.
Tickner, D.
Varis, O.
Zeitoun, M.
author_facet Zeitoun, M.
Lankford, B.A.
Krueger, T.
Forsyth, T.
Carter, R.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Taylor, R.
Varis, O.
Cleaver, F.
Boelens, R.
Swatuk, L.
Tickner, D.
Scott, Christopher A.
Mirumachi, N.
Matthews, Nathaniel
author_sort Zeitoun, M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This article reviews and contrasts two approaches that water security researchers employ to advance understanding of the complexity of water-society policy challenges. A prevailing reductionist approach seeks to represent uncertainty through calculable risk, links national GDP tightly to hydro-climatological causes, and underplays diversity and politics in society. When adopted uncritically, this approach limits policy-makers to interventions that may reproduce inequalities, and that are too rigid to deal with future changes in society and climate. A second, more integrative, approach is found to address a range of uncertainties, explicitly recognise diversity in society and the environment, incorporate water resources that are less-easily controlled, and consider adaptive approaches to move beyond conventional supply-side prescriptions. The resultant policy recommendations are diverse, inclusive, and more likely to reach the marginalised in society, though they often encounter policy-uptake obstacles. The article concludes by defining a route towards more effective water security research and policy, which stresses analysis that matches the state of knowledge possessed, an expanded research agenda, and explicitly addresses inequities.
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spelling CGSpace785322024-06-26T09:37:32Z Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges Zeitoun, M. Lankford, B.A. Krueger, T. Forsyth, T. Carter, R. Hoekstra, A.Y. Taylor, R. Varis, O. Cleaver, F. Boelens, R. Swatuk, L. Tickner, D. Scott, Christopher A. Mirumachi, N. Matthews, Nathaniel water security water policy environmental effects uncertainty ecosystems economic growth rainfall-runoff relationships This article reviews and contrasts two approaches that water security researchers employ to advance understanding of the complexity of water-society policy challenges. A prevailing reductionist approach seeks to represent uncertainty through calculable risk, links national GDP tightly to hydro-climatological causes, and underplays diversity and politics in society. When adopted uncritically, this approach limits policy-makers to interventions that may reproduce inequalities, and that are too rigid to deal with future changes in society and climate. A second, more integrative, approach is found to address a range of uncertainties, explicitly recognise diversity in society and the environment, incorporate water resources that are less-easily controlled, and consider adaptive approaches to move beyond conventional supply-side prescriptions. The resultant policy recommendations are diverse, inclusive, and more likely to reach the marginalised in society, though they often encounter policy-uptake obstacles. The article concludes by defining a route towards more effective water security research and policy, which stresses analysis that matches the state of knowledge possessed, an expanded research agenda, and explicitly addresses inequities. 2016-07 2016-12-28T09:02:28Z 2016-12-28T09:02:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/78532 en Limited Access Elsevier Zeitoun, M.; Lankford, B.; Krueger, T.; Forsyth, T.; Carter, R.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Taylor, R.; Varis, O.; Cleaver, F.; Boelens, R.; Swatuk, L.; Tickner, D.; Scott, C. A.; Mirumachi, N.; Matthews, Nathanial. 2016. Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges. Global Environmental Change, 39:143-154. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.04.010
spellingShingle water security
water policy
environmental effects
uncertainty
ecosystems
economic growth
rainfall-runoff relationships
Zeitoun, M.
Lankford, B.A.
Krueger, T.
Forsyth, T.
Carter, R.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Taylor, R.
Varis, O.
Cleaver, F.
Boelens, R.
Swatuk, L.
Tickner, D.
Scott, Christopher A.
Mirumachi, N.
Matthews, Nathaniel
Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title_full Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title_fullStr Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title_full_unstemmed Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title_short Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
title_sort reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges
topic water security
water policy
environmental effects
uncertainty
ecosystems
economic growth
rainfall-runoff relationships
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/78532
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