Beyond engagement: Enhancing equity in collaborative water governance

Elizabeth A. Koebele; Linda E. Méndez‐Barrientos; Nikki Nadeau; Andrea K. Gerlak

doi:10.1002/wat2.1687

journal article Aug 25, 2023

Beyond engagement: Enhancing equity in collaborative water governance

Elizabeth A. Koebele

Linda E. Méndez‐Barrientos

Nikki Nadeau

Andrea K. Gerlak

WIREs Water Vol. 11 No. 2 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/wat2.1687

Abstract

AbstractCollaborative governance has emerged as a promising approach for addressing complex water sustainability issues, with purported benefits from enhanced democracy to improved environmental outcomes. Collaborative processes are often assumed to be inherently more equitable than traditional governance approaches due to their goal of engaging diverse actors in the development of policy and management solutions. However, when collaborative water governance processes ignore issues of politics and power in their design, they risk creating or even exacerbating existing inequities. How, then, can collaborative water governance processes be designed to enhance, rather than undermine, equity? To answer this question, we first conduct an extensive review of the collaborative governance literature to identify common design features of collaborative processes, which each present potential benefits and challenges for actualizing equitable collaborative water governance. After critically discussing these design features, we explore how they are executed through two case studies of collaborative water governance in western North America: groundwater governance reform in California and transnational Colorado River Delta governance. In reflecting on these cases, we chart an agenda for future collaborative water governance research and practice that moves beyond engaging diverse actors to promoting equity among them.This article is categorized under:
Human Water > Water Governance
Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
Engineering Water > Planning Water

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Details

Published: Aug 25, 2023
Vol/Issue: 11(2)
License: View

Authors

E

Elizabeth A. Koebele

Department of Political Science University of Nevada Reno Nevada USA

L

Linda E. Méndez‐Barrientos

Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver Denver Colorado USA

N

Nikki Nadeau

School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA

A

Andrea K. Gerlak

School of Geography, Development & Environment, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA

Funding

National Science Foundation Award: 1650042

Cite This Article

Elizabeth A. Koebele, Linda E. Méndez‐Barrientos, Nikki Nadeau, et al. (2023). Beyond engagement: Enhancing equity in collaborative water governance. WIREs Water, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1687

Beyond engagement: Enhancing equity in collaborative water governance

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