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.

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 |