Assessing participatory process‐system linkages in polycentric water governance: Insights from WFD implementation in Germany.

An important, although insufficiently answered, environmental governance research question concerns how exactly participation improves policy implementation at different scales. Numerous studies have highlighted important variables influencing the effectiveness of participatory processes. However, s...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Review of Policy Research Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 310 - 346
Autores principales: Schröder, Nadine Jenny Shirin, Watson, Nigel
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Mar2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=184111109&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 184111109
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        1541132X
        MJJ
      jtl: Review of Policy Research
      issn: 1541132X
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: Mar2025
      vid: 42
      iid: 2
      pid: 480
      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
    artinfo:
      ui:
        184111109
        10.1111/ropr.12588
      ppf: 310
      ppct: 36
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: C
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 872KB
      tig:
        atl: Assessing participatory process‐system linkages in polycentric water governance: Insights from WFD implementation in Germany.
      aug:
        au:
          Schröder, Nadine Jenny Shirin
          Watson, Nigel
        affil:
          Department for Environmentally Sound Urban and Infrastructure Planning, HafenCity University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
          IRI THESys Graduate Program (Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human‐Environment Systems), Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
          Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
      su:
        Germany
        Water management
        Environmental research
        Research questions
        Multiplication
      sug:
        subj:
          Germany
          Water management
          Environmental research
          Research questions
          Multiplication
      keyword:
        EU water framework directive
        participation
        polycentricity
        water governance
        Alemania
        directiva marco del agua de la UE
        gobernanza del agua
        participación
        policentricidad
        《欧盟水框架指令》
        参与
        多中心性
        德国
        水治理
        EU water framework directive
        participation
        polycentricity
        water governance
        Alemania
        directiva marco del agua de la UE
        gobernanza del agua
        participación
        policentricidad
        《欧盟水框架指令》
        参与
        多中心性
        德国
        水治理
      ab: An important, although insufficiently answered, environmental governance research question concerns how exactly participation improves policy implementation at different scales. Numerous studies have highlighted important variables influencing the effectiveness of participatory processes. However, studies of participation tend to be strongly process‐oriented rather than system‐oriented and often overlook the reality that participatory processes are part of increasingly complex and broader decision‐making systems. By analyzing particular process‐system linkages, this paper contributes new knowledge regarding how participatory processes can influence decision‐making in polycentric governance systems. This study focuses on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, which aims for good ecological and chemical status in all European waters, in six German states with varied polycentric decision‐making structures. No direct decision‐making power was found to be associated with any of the participatory processes themselves. Rather, the power remained embedded within the other established institutional structures. Nevertheless, the participatory processes did still intend to influence decision‐making within those established structures through the aggregation and multiplication of information. The findings show that only a few representatives or a small proportion of the total number of decision‐makers are involved in participatory processes. Therefore, those processes may either affect decisions directly due to the binding nature of the decisions taken within participatory processes or alternatively have effects through more complex and nuanced multiplication routes following the conclusion of each participatory process. Moreover, all of the participatory processes examined in this study were reliant to some extent on such multiplication mechanisms to amplify the effects on decisions throughout the overall polycentric governance system.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N