New directions for water governance

Water governance is a significant feature of international development policymaking. There is an increasing consensus on the need for improved water governance to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

A series of international summit meetings, most recently the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico in 2006, have agreed key principles of governance that shape water policy and management. These principles include the need for integrated water resource management, increased participation of all water users (especially women) in financing and management, and a larger role for the private sector.

These principles represent a shift in international consensus about water governance, from:

• state provision of water services to regulated market provision
• centrally administered management to user-based management
• service-oriented management to resource-centred management.

However, such policies have been criticised for being underpinned by narrowly neo-liberal economic principles, dominated by technical and managerial concerns, and informed by limited methodologies and empirical data. Non-governmental organisations and campaigning groups have questioned the pro-privatisation focus, the neglect of ecological concerns, and equity issues.

Challenging the consensus

The recent 'Water Governance: Challenging the Consensus' seminar series aimed to bring together academics and practitioners to critically explore key themes in water governance. It was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and jointly organised by the University of Bradford and the Overseas Development Institute (both in the UK) and the World Wildlife Fund. Despite many case studies of 'good practice', there has been a lack of enquiry and understanding as to how governance actually works in relation to water, and how to achieve equitable outcomes. This edition of id21 insights presents research that moves beyond the principles of good governance to improve our understanding of how governance works in practice.

The complexity of water governance

Water governance is complex, with many forms and contexts. Tom le Quesne's article considers the issue of scale: to what level is governance best devolved for optimal water management arrangements? Tom Slaymaker and Peter Newborne discuss the composite nature of rights. This helps us to understand mechanisms for governing water access and allocations, such as the right to basic minimum amounts of water. These mechanisms are shaped by wider rights and resources in society, with different outcomes for different people.

Linden Vincent explains how participatory institutions are not a simple solution to water governance problems: they are shaped by wider issues within a society, such as power relations.

Faustin Maganga argues that governance arrangements should draw on customary laws. Rose Osinde and Mandy Turner ask us to focus less on high profile 'water wars' and more on local conflicts over water resources. In doing so, we see that water governance is embedded in power relations that often lead to the unequal distribution of other resources (such as land and technology).

Robin Todd and Alexia Haysom use contrasting case studies of local water tariffs to show that governance encompasses a huge diversity of arrangements in different contexts. Although they focus on local governance arrangements, these profitability concerns have implications for wider processes of water sustainability and access.

Further research and action

These articles illustrate some of the breadth and complexity of water governance, but cannot cover all the issues. We summarise the main areas for further work:

Expanding the definition of governance
Water governance is more than just good government. It works through networks and relationships between government, the public, private and voluntary sectors, community groups and citizens themselves. The contribution of these different partners is essential for meeting the water targets in the Millennium Development Goals.

Support at the interface
Water governance involves dynamic political processes of power and negotiation, particularly between service providers and users. The agreed principles of good governance must be balanced with context-specific initiatives. There is a particular need to work at the 'messy middle' between national policymaking and local practices.

Making water governance work for poor people
There is a continuing need to understand how to improve water access for poor people. Single solutions are unlikely to be effective: increasing the influence of poor people in water governance requires a range of inter-related interventions.

Frances Cleaver and Tom Franks
Bradford Centre for International Development, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
f.d.cleaver@bradford.ac.uk
T +44 (0)1274 233967
t.r.franks@bradford.ac.uk
T +44 (0)1274 235272

See also

Papers from the 'Water Governance: Challenging the Consensus' series can be found at: http://splash.bradford.ac.uk/home

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright remains with the original authors but (unless stated otherwise) any article may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided both source (id21, insights) and authors are properly acknowledged and informed. Copyright © 2006 id21. All rights reserved.