WICKED WATER PROBLEMS: CAN NETWORK GOVERNANCE DELIVER?

1. WICKED WATER PROBLEMS: CAN NETWORK GOVERNANCE DELIVER? INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES FROM NEW ZEALAND AND OREGON, USA Jackie Dingfelder, PhD Hatfield School of Government, Public Policy and Administration

2. “Many of the wars this century were about oil, but those of the next century will be over water.” - World Bank Vice President, Dr Ismail Serageldin, 1995

3. Water is a Wicked Problem • Complex problem with no clear solution • Competing demands for limited resources • Fragmented governance arrangements • Many delivery agencies • Patchwork of overlapping and inconsistent laws, policies, and rules • Failure to manage water effectively and efficiently Purpose of this Study To gain a better understanding of collaborative network governance frameworks as applied to integrated water management, and primary factors for success.

4. A Few Definitions • Network Governance • New Public Governance • Social Capital

5. Propositions at Risk • Historic approaches inadequate • Collaborative networks better equipped to develop effective and durable outcomes • Shift from top-down, vertical command and control governance to shared horizontal governance network

6. Research Questions • How are the different governance networks structured and how are their boundaries determined? • How do the collaborative processes work, and what role do state and non-state actors play in setting water policies in New Zealand and Oregon? • What functions do they carry out? How are the networks governed, and how are policies developed in the collaborative? • How are these networks held accountable? To what extent are the networks democratically anchored?

7. Research Questions (con’t) • How fully are surface water and groundwater, water quality and quantity, and land use integrated in management systems under New Zealand and Oregon governance structures? • What are the legal, political, and institutional barriers affecting water governance in New Zealand and Oregon? • How did issues such as climate change and water scarcity influence approaches to water management?

8. Theoretical Framework • Collaborative and Network Governance Constructs • Democratic anchorage • Trust between network actors • Strength of network ties • Social capital

9. Literature Review • Integrated water resources management • Network governance • Collaborative governance • New Public governance

10. Research Methods • Qualitative Approach • Comparative in-depth case study analysis: new learning about real-world behavior • Unit of analysis: individual case • Cases: New Zealand freshwater reforms & Oregon IWRS • Inductive approach; grounded theory

11. EvidencePrimary and Secondary Sources • Extensive document review • Archival records research • Direct observation • Key informant interviews • Semi-structured interviews • Journals and memos

12. Data Analysis • Coded data to identify patterns and themes; developed code book • Developed matrix of coded categories using Dedoose software • Iterative process; looked for saturation • Final themes: exhaustive and sensitive to data and reflect research purpose • Developed explanatory narrative

13. Methods used for Addressing Quality and Validity Threats • Checking for representativeness • Checking for researcher effects • Triangulation • Checking for outliers • Rival explanations • Soliciting feedback from key informants • Validity threats: construct, internal, external, reliability

15. New Zealand

16. New Zealand regions

17. New Zealand Rivers

18. New Zealand’s Freshwater challenges Declining water quality Over-allocation in some catchments Inefficient use of water Loss of biodiversity Indigenous rights and interests Balancing of economic and ecological values

19. Urban runoff

20. Key Agricultural Drivers Sheep Dairy Cows

21. Water Quality Challenges

22. Land and Water Forum 60+ interested parties, including: primary industry; iwi; business; NGOs; recreation and tourism; and central and local government observers Model for stakeholder and public engagement Delivered detailed consensus-based recommendations to Government Issued five reports including recommendations around indigenous rights and interests

23. New Zealand Case Study Results • Nat’l-level collaborative policy network (LAWF) created broad consensus on complex water issues • Non-state actors formed strong ties, built trust, and high levels of internal social capital • Political barriers to implementing reforms • Indigenous water rights need resolution • Climate change one of several policy drivers

25. State of Oregon, USA

26. John Wesley PowellCredit for photo from Smithsonian Institution

27. “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting.” — Mark twain

28. Western Water Lawdoctrine of Prior Appropriation: First in Time, First in Right

29. Need for Integrated Approach Historical institutional arrangements around water governance problematic Water quality & quantity discrete regulatory frameworks Fragmented, siloed, and ineffective approach

30. IWRS Process • Policy advisory group process to identify priorities & develop recommendations • PAG consisted of 18 stakeholders • Met for 2 years • Consensus decision-making process • Over 40 recommended actions • Strategy updated every 5 years

31. Oregon Case Study Results • Network helped foster mutual understanding, but weaker internal social ties • Western water law and fragmented governance arrangements constrain integrated water management implementation • Improved coordination & communication among state actors, but not institutionalized • One agency tasked with IWRS responsibility but lacked broad implementation authority • Climate change and scarcity key policy drivers

33. Comparative Case Study Conclusions • Collaborative network governance works well for framing & designing integrated water policies; but face challenges transitioning policies into action • Tension between vertical and horizontal relationships in water policy • Formal and informal policy development process

34. Significance of Research • Applications to Theory • Identified limits to New Public Governance framework • Applied collaborative and network theories to integrated water management • Application to Practice • Identified weak spots in moving from policy to implementation • Designed framework for assessing collaborative network governance structures

35. Future Research • Effectiveness of place-based integrated water management • Navigating complexities of hybrid governance system • Overcoming Oregon’s fragmented natural resources governance and regulatory framework • Role of indigenous perspectives in integrated water management

36. Thank you and Questions?