Workshop

Water Policy and Politics (2 ECTS)

This hybrid course (PAP-54302) is aimed at graduate programme and PhD candidates who want to deepen their knowledge about policy and governance theories in relation to water issues. Selected policy and governance theories will be discussed and applied to water issues.

Organised by Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS)
Date

Wed 14 May 2025 until Wed 28 May 2025

Room Hybrid: Wageningen University Campus and online in Teams
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Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
• Explain selected theories of public policy and governance and apply them to water issues
• Analyse water policies, water reforms and water management practices in terms of public policy and governance concepts
• Assess water policies and governance arrangements in terms of effectiveness, equity and resilience

Learning activities

  • Lectures on selected public policy and governance theories, including presentation and discussion of key texts by the students.
  • Tutorials: Joint discussion and analysis of particular studies of water policies, water reforms and water management practices.
  • Individual paper: Writing an individual research paper, discussing applications of public policy and governance theories to water issues.

    Assessment

    Assessment will be based on an individual paper (maximum 4000 words), in which you apply the discussed theories to a case study. In doing so, you critically discuss the value and limitations of these theoretical perspectives for studying water policy and governance.

    The paper will be graded according to the extent it:

    • applies the theoretical perspectives appropriately and insightfully to the case (40%)
    • critically discusses the value and limitations of the theoretical perspectives for studying water policy and governance (20%)
    • develops clearly formulated theoretical arguments (20%)
    • is well-structured, well-written and well-referenced (20%)

      Reading

      Lecture 1

      Dewulf, A., Karpouzoglou, T., Warner, J., Wesselink, A., Mao, F., Vos, J., Tamas, P., Groot, A. E., Heijmans, A., Ahmed, F., Hoang, L., Vij,
      S., & Buytaert, W. (2019). The power to define resilience in social–hydrological systems: Toward a power‐sensitive resilience framework.
      WIREs Water, 6(6), 210. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1377

      Mao, F., Clark, J., Karpouzoglou, T., Dewulf, A., Buytaert, W., & Hannah, D. M. (2017). HESS Opinions: A conceptual framework for
      assessing socio-hydrological resilience under change. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 21(7), 3655–3670. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3655-2017

      Lecture 2

      Rap, E., & Wester, P. (2013). The practices and politics of making policy: Irrigation management transfer in Mexico. Water Alternatives,
      6(3), 506–531. http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/volume6/v6issue3/223-a6-3-10/

      Colebatch, H. K. (2006). What work makes policy? Policy Sciences, 39(4), 309–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-006-9025-4

      Lecture 3

      Required reading:

      Warner, J. F. (2016). Of River Linkage and Issue Linkage: Transboundary Conflict and Cooperation on the River Meuse. Globalizations, 13(6), 741-766. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2015.1136786

      Mehta, A. S., & Warner, J. F. (2022). Multi-level hegemony in transboundary Flood Risk Management: A downstream perspective on the Maritsa Basin. Environmental Science & Policy, 129, 126-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.12.014

      Recommended reading:

      Motta, S., & Koehler, J. (2025). Fractured hegemony and Vietnamese pragmatism in the Red River basin. Geoforum, 161, 104269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104269

      Schedule

      Contact hours Topic Location
      Wed 14 May 14.00-15.45 CET - Introduction to the course Forum B0411
      Lecture Prof. Dr. Art Dewulf
      - Power and politics in water policy-making- The power to define resilience in social-hydrological systems
      16.00-17.15 CET Tutorial: Discussion of participants’ cases Forum B0411
      Thu 15 May 14.00-15.45 CET Lecture Dr. Jeroen Vos Forum B0411
      - Researching water policy making as a political process
      16.00-17.15 CET Tutorial: Discussion of participants’ cases Forum B0411
      Fri 16 May 14.00-15.45 CET Lecture Dr. Jeroen Warner Forum B0411
      - Power and politics in water policy-making
      16.00-17.15 CET Tutorial: Discussion of participants’ cases Forum B0411
      Wed 28 May 14:00-17:15 CET Peer feedback tutorial Forum B0411

      Course fees

      MSc students registered for a WUR Master's Programme no fee
      WGS PhDs with TSP € 220
      PhD candidates from low income or lower middle income countries € 220
      All other PhD candidates, postdocs and staff of the above mentioned Graduate Schools € 450
      All others € 700

      Cancellation conditions:

      Participants can cancel their registration free of charge 1 month before the course starts. A cancellation fee of 100% applies if a participant cancels his/her registration less than 1 month prior to the start of the course.

      The organisers have the right to cancel the course no later than one month before the planned course start date in the case that the number of registrations does not reach the minimum.

      The participants will be notified of any changes at their e-mail addresses.