scholarly journals Actors in Water Governance: Barriers and Bridges for Coordination

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Lieberherr ◽  
Karin Ingold
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Local Control ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Multiple Actors

Multiple actors across different institutional levels play a role in water governance. The coordination of these actors is important for effective water governance. However, the joining together of multiple actors can have several implications, such as a redistribution of power across actors, a change in democratic control and citizen influence as well as shifting accountability structures. These implications can involve different barriers and bridges that might impede or foster coordination. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, we assess the following barriers and bridges for coordination: (1) reputational power in terms of who is perceived as important for coordination in the water sector; (2) democratic legitimacy in terms of actors’ value of local control of water services; and (3) accountability in terms of the regional actors’ capacity to steer in the water sector. This article focuses on three cases in a Swiss region that has experienced water provision challenges due to its highly fragmented water supply structures. We find that reputational power serves as a bridge in our three cases: when the actors responsible for water supply regard potential coordination partners as important, then we observe coordination. In contrast, we do not find conclusive evidence to support the assumption that a fear of losing local control is a barrier for coordination. Instead, our results indicate that accountability, in the form of vertical steering by the regional actors, serves as a bridge for coordination, and that this could help mitigate some of the potentially negative effects of democratic legitimacy perceptions: through convening local actors or providing positive incentives to municipalities to work together, regional actors can foster coordination.

scholarly journals Risk of Increased Acceptance for Organizational Nepotism and Cronyism during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Risks ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Ignatowski ◽  
Łukasz Sułkowski ◽  
Bartłomiej Stopczyński
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
The Times ◽  
The Impact

Nepotism and cronyism are forms of favoritism towards certain people in the workplace. For this reason, they constitute a problem for organization managers, ethicists and psychologists. Identifying the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the increase of nepotism and cronyism may provide a basis for organizations to assess their extent and to take possible measures to prevent their negative effects. At the same time, the research presented in the article may provide a basis for further research work related to nepotism and cronyism at the times of other threats, different from the pandemic. The aim of the article is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on growing acceptance for nepotism and cronyism in Polish enterprises. Qualitative and quantitative methods have been included in the conducted research. Qualitative study aimed at improving knowledge of nepotism and cronyism and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these phenomena, followed by a quantitative study conducted in order to verify the information obtained in the qualitative study. This research has demonstrated that Nepotism and cronyism in the workplace, are phenomenon that are basically evaluated negatively. They adversely influences social and economic development, but the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on nepotism and cronyism is not significant.

scholarly journals The African Water Vision 2025: its influence on water governance in the development of Africa's water sector, with an emphasis on rural communities in Kenya: a review

Water Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Mutschinski ◽  
Neil A. Coles
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Quality Of Water

Abstract Reliable and secure water resources for rural communities in Africa continue to be at the forefront of the challenges facing these communities in the last 20 years, particularly for smallholders, agricultural sector productivity, food security and economic development increasingly exacerbated by climate change and rapidly growing urban populations. Addressing these challenges requires well-structured policy in the water sector, to implement commitments and investments effectively, and ultimately ensure the quantity and quality of water supply. The AWV 2025 for Africa was commissioned by the World Water Council in 2000 to create a framework to target these aspects in Africa. We examine the progress towards achieving this vision after two decades, through the initiatives, government policies and water strategies that have been implemented. We take a closer look at the top-down impact of the AWV 2025 in the national context of Kenya and its rural population. While the water sector has evolved since 2000, it remains difficult to meet international standards, both at the continental level and in Kenya. This requires continued efforts to strengthen good governance in the water sector, address the financial challenges associated with the expansion of the infrastructure, and developing decentralized approaches to water supply provision.

Quantified CO2-related indicators for green building rating systems in China: Comparative study with Japan and Taiwan

2020 ◽  
pp. 1420326X1989437
Author(s):  
Ke Liu ◽  
Jiawei Leng
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Indirect Evaluation ◽  
Assessment Standard

Buildings’ CO2-related indicators are essential in checking negative effects of global warming on the environment. They are required in Green Building Rating Systems (GBRS) to promote low-carbon development. Most of Asian GBRS consider CO2-related evaluations. In China, Assessment Standard for Green Buildings (ASGB) includes CO2-related indicators; however, the standard lacks the necessary specification for quantisation and compulsory requirements for evaluation. There is a lack of research regarding its updated version, ASGB-2019. The objective of this paper is to propose a framework of CO2-related indicators in ASGB-2019, through comparative analyses of Japanese (CASBEE) and Taiwanese (EEWH) GBRS. CO2-related indicators were compared in terms of structure, weights, evaluation and calculation methods. CO2-related indicators cover the first and second level indexes and are included in direct and indirect evaluation in all three GBRS. While scopes of CO2-related indicators are different among these three GBRS, weights from large to small are EEWH, CASBEE and ASGB. CASBEE and EEWH would give more importance to CO2-related calculation than ASGB. The proposed framework will guide CO2-related evaluations in ASGB-2019 by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. For ASGB-2019, the scope of CO2-related indicators should be broadened to include the Required and Encouragement indicators, the weights could be around 50% for broad scope and 16% for narrow scope. The CO2 emissions calculation should be an indispensable indicator.

scholarly journals How Can Water Sector Cooperation Support Democratic Governance? Insights from Morocco

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-97
Author(s):  
Annabelle Houdret
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
External Support ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Large Scope

Abstract This paper analyzes how development cooperation can actively support democratic governance through cooperation in the water sector. To answer this question, we develop an analytical approach based on democratization research and on water governance research. We tested the approach in three donor-supported water projects in Morocco and carried out over seventy interviews with key stakeholders. Our findings show (a) key factors influencing the scope for external support for democratic governance in the water sector, (b) potential negative effects of the support when local elites grasp new resources, and (c) unintended positive spill-over effects of water projects on democratic governance within and beyond the sector (for instance, strengthening formerly marginalized groups). As these empirical findings suggest, there is a potentially large scope of action for supporting democratic governance through water sector cooperation. We therefore highlight the need for more analytical and empirical research on causal interlinkages between these two fields of intervention.

scholarly journals A Complex Systems Analysis of the Water-Energy Nexus in Malaysia

Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Andrew Huey Ping Tan ◽  
Eng Hwa Yap ◽  
Yousif Abdalla Abakr
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Water Energy Nexus

Water security plays a crucial role in maintaining livelihoods, especially emerging economies. In Malaysia, understanding the inter-relationships of water within the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is at its infancy. This paper investigates the interactions of the water sector with energy sector in Malaysia, through the lenses of WEF nexus, using system dynamics. The first part of the research involves qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in the water sectors, which provides validation for the initial causal loop relationships built and qualitative inputs of the water-energy nexus through the lenses of the water sector. The second part of the research is a quantitative simulation of stock and flow based on four carefully designed scenarios revolving around Malaysian water security. Key findings include an apparent disconnect between the states and federal governments in managing water supply, poor economic sustainability of the water supply and services industry, and significant energy use in the water sector. On the other hand, environmental impacts stemming from the water sector is minimal. Streamlining water governance and revising water tariffs have thus been suggested as policy recommendations, where their implementation could propagate into downstream benefits for the energy sector.

scholarly journals Toward Rigorous Telecoupling Causal Attribution: A Systematic Review and Typology

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Carlson ◽  
Julie Zaehringer ◽  
Rachael Garrett ◽  
Ramon Felipe Bicudo Silva ◽  
Paul Furumo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Leverage Points ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Distance Response

Telecoupled flows of people, organisms, goods, information, and energy are expanding across the globe. Causes are integral components of the telecoupling framework, yet the rigor with which they have been identified and evaluated to date is unknown. We address this knowledge gap by systematically reviewing causal attribution in the telecoupling literature (n = 89 studies) and developing a standardized causal terminology and typology for consistent use in telecoupling research. Causes are defined based on six criteria: sector (e.g., environmental, economic), system of origin (i.e., sending, receiving, spillover), agent, distance, response time (i.e., time lapse between cause and effect), and direction (i.e., producing positive or negative effects). Using case studies from the telecoupling literature, we demonstrate the need to enhance the rigor of telecoupling causal attribution by combining qualitative and quantitative methods via process-tracing, counterfactual analysis, and related approaches. Rigorous qualitative-quantitative causal attribution is critical for accurately assessing the social-ecological causes and consequences of telecouplings and thereby identifying leverage points for informed management and governance of telecoupled systems.

Research on the Vulnerability Risk Assessment of Water Supply Network under Earthquake

2014 ◽  
Vol 1079-1080 ◽  
pp. 456-459
Author(s):  
Xiao Juan Li ◽  
Fei Min Shen
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Seismic Vulnerability ◽  
Network System ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Pipe Network ◽  
Water Supply Network ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Supply Pipe

The seismic vulnerability of water supply network system refers to the network after the quake affected degree of each node. Based on mutation progression method, water supply pipe network seismic vulnerability is analyzed. Position in network topology and node service features as factors, which influences the network vulnerability assessment indexes is determined. The vulnerability level of the network could then be evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. This approach is validated to be effective and appropriate through an application to a post earthquake analysis of a water supply network system.

The Status of Livelihood Vulnerability and Its CopingCapacities of Urban Squatters in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal

Patan Pragya ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Chhabi Ram Baral
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
The Status

Urban poverty is one of multidimensional issue in Nepal. Increasing immigration from the outer parts of Kathmandu due to rural poverty, unemployment and weak security of the lives and the properties are core causes pushing people into urban areas. In this context how squatter urban area people sustain their livelihoods is major concern. The objectives of the study are to find out livelihood assets and capacities squatters coping with their livelihood vulnerability in adverse situation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are applied for data collection. It is found that squatters social security is weak, victimized by severe health problems earning is not regular with lack of physical facilities and overall livelihood is critical. This study helps to understand what the changes that have occurred in livelihood patterns and how poor people survive in urban area.

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