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Dr. Margo van den Brink / Dr. Margo van den Brink / m.a.van.den.brink@rug.nl

‘‘So What? Why we need interpretive methods for water governance’ So What? Why we need interpretive methods for water governance’

Workshop University of Sheffield, 31 March – 1 April 2011Workshop University of Sheffield, 31 March – 1 April 2011

‘‘Holding up the mirror’ to Dutch water Holding up the mirror’ to Dutch water managersmanagers

Or how to take part in the negotiation of a new water futureOr how to take part in the negotiation of a new water future

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About Rijkswaterstaat…About Rijkswaterstaat…

› The policy-implementing agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment

› Responsible for flood protection of the Netherlands

› Well known for its engineering knowledge and expertise

On the horns of a dilemmaOn the horns of a dilemma

› On the one hand, Rijkswaterstaat needs its renowned expert status to fulfil its public responsibilities, such as the protection against floods

› On the other hand, it also needs to distance itself from this expert status to meet the increasing social and political imperative of developing into a more responsive and efficient public organisation

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A discursive approachA discursive approach

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› Rijkswaterstaat’s transformation was accompanied by the introduction of a new policy language

› The aim was to gain insight in its search for and construction of a new organisational identity

› Post-structuralist discourse-theoretical perspective combined with insights from framing theory

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‘‘Holding up the mirror’Holding up the mirror’

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Three subsequent steps:

1. Creating trustworthy interpretations

2. Writing a performative text – a ‘learning history’

3. Taking part in the negotiation of meaning

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Step 1: Creating trustworthy interpretationsStep 1: Creating trustworthy interpretations

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› Normative starting point: to help Rijkswaterstaat realise its public responsibilities (no contract research!)

› Role of the researcher: be as open and transparent as possible, focus on storytelling, advisory committee

› Methodology: Atlas.ti as a support tool to analyse framing processes (CAQDAS)

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Step 2: Writing a performative textStep 2: Writing a performative text

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› Through constructing a ‘learning history’, important for organisational learning

› Through narrating and contextualising important events and developments

› Through explicitly paying attention to the politically sensitive nature of Rijkswaterstaat’s transformation

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Step 3: Taking part in the negotiation of meaningStep 3: Taking part in the negotiation of meaning

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› Through interviews and by actively contributing to the (internal and external) public debate

› Through presentations and guest lectures (workshops, interactive seminars)

ConclusionsConclusions

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› Discursive research can have impact on water governance! (exactly because of its focus on the social construction of meaning)

› It helps to bridge the current existing ontological and epistemological gap in flood risk management (the dilemma between technocracy and democracy)

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› By creating trustworthy interpretations: by paying explicit attention to method and methodology

› By writing a performative text: by creating a ‘learning history’, thus facilitating a collective learning process

› And by taking part in the negotiation of meaning: by actively positioning oneself in the public debate

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