PLAN 597

Planning for Water Resources Management

Governance Systems II: 6th February 2008

Citizen Involvement and Negotiation in Sustainability Governance

In the second part of the morning we will discuss some of the key innovations in how stakeholders have been involved in the governance of water and related resources in recent years, using examples from Greater Vancouver and the experience with the World Commision on Dams (WCD). Review my CWRJ editorial of 20 years ago to see what I was saying about the role and capabilities needed by water managers back then. Read my chapter in Mitchell's undergraduate textbook to get an overview of how I see innovations in governance as having evolved over the intervening years. It is now 5 years since my recommendations on experimental development of governance arrangements in Greater Vancouver were written, it will be informative for us to reflect on how they have in fact unfolded in the last few years. Likewise it will be useful for us to review how the recommendations of the WCD have been taken forward during the same time frame.

Reading for Second 1 1/2 hours

Dorcey, A.H.J., 1987. "Managers - Our Scarcest Resource," Canadian Water Resources Journal, Vol. 12. No.1. pp.1-2.

Dorcey, A.H.J., 2004. "Sustainability Governance: Surfing the Waves of Transformation," in Mitchell, B. (Ed.) Resource and Environmental Management in Canada: Addressing Conflict and Uncertainty. pp. 528-554.

Fisher, R., and Ury, W. 1981. Getting To Yes: Reaching Agreement Without Giving In. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Supplementary

United Nations Environment Programme Dams and Development Project The Dams and Development Project within UNEP has been responsible for acting on recommendations from the World Commission on Dams. Skim this web site to see how its work has progressed.

Course Organization

Agreement on class participation grading (See below).

Discussion

  1. Why do sustainability goals generate increasing demands, increasing complexity, increasing uncertainty and consequently increasing conflict? And the need for innovations in governance?
  2. What characterizes the three waves of innovation identified in Canadian governance?
  3. Defining citizen involvement, negotiation, facilitation, mediation, governance.
  4. Evaluating governance performance: democratic models, outcome goals, procedural goals.
  5. Why do research limitations and practitioners evolving best practices suggest emphasizing experimental development?
  6. Why should experimental innovations be contingent, progressive, structured, and adaptive?
  7. Greater Vancouver: Sustainability and FREMP, FBC, GBEI as water related governance initiatives
  8. World Commission on Dams: one approach to experimental development of governance arrangements.
  9. What conclusions can we draw from subsequent experience with WCD and Greater Vancouver governance innovations?


PLAN 597

Class Participation Grade

In previous classes we have agreed upon the following approach for arriving at the class participation portion of the grade:

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Criteria for group mark

Process

Substance