Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed [electronic resource] : The Case of the Lower Mekong Basin /
Öjendal, Joakim.editor.
Hansson, Stina.editor.
Hellberg, Sofie.editor.
Water - and its governance - is becoming a global concern partly because it is turning into a goods in short supply, with devastating effects on literally billions of people, but also because it is the "carrier" of global warming; whether through irregular weather patterns or through flooding, water is how global warming will be 'felt'. The lion's share of the globally available fresh water resources is to be found in transboundary systems. In spite of its significance, the generated knowledge on how to deal with transboundary waters is weak and leaves policy makers with seemingly unavoidable, trade-off dilemmas and prioritizations, often with detrimental effects. In order to disentangle this predicament this volume works with one case: the Lower Mekong Basin and covers state-of-the-art academic and practitioners' knowledge and hence appeals to a wide audience. The topic this volume addresses is situated in the nexus of an IR- (International Relations) approach focussing on transboundary politics and its inclination to remain within the sphere of state sovereignty and national interest on the one hand, and Development studies, with its imperatives on participation, planning, and intervention, on the other. The dilemma, we argue, of better understanding transboundary water management lies in how to understand how these two rationalities can be simultaneously nurtured. Audience: This book will be relevant to scholars, as it provides cutting-edge research, and students, since it covers the primary debates in the field, interested in resource management, regional politics, and development issues in the area. It also addresses the global debate on transboundary water management and presents an in-depth case of one of the globally most sophisticated attempts at pursuing sustainable river basin management. Finally, practitioners and policymakers would benefit greatly because all contributions have explicit policy relevance, launching suggestion on improvements in water management.
Description based upon print version of record.
Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed; Preface; Contents; Contributors; Abbreviations; Chapter 1: Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed: The Case of the Lower Mekong Basin; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 The Politics of IWRM; 1.3 Development in a Transboundary Context; 1.4 Transboundary Water Governance; 1.5 The Mekong Basin as a Transboundary System; 1.6 The Contributions to This Volume; References; Chapter 2: Politics or Development: Sharing of International Rivers in the South; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Rivers of Conflict to Rivers of Cooperation?
2.2.1 Agreement over the Jordan River Between Israel and Jordan2.2.2 The Ganges River Agreement Between India and Bangladesh; 2.2.3 The Mekong River Commission; 2.2.4 The Zambezi River Commission; 2.2.5 The Nile Basin Initiative; 2.3 Yet to Move Beyond Selfish National Interests; References; Chapter 3: Politics and Development of the Mekong River Basin: Transboundary Dilemmas and Participatory Ambitions*; 3.1 The Basin's Economic Geography; 3.1.1 The Physical Geography; 3.1.2 The Ecology and Livelihood Systems; 3.1.3 The Economic Geography of the Mekong Basin
3.1.4 The Political Geography of the Mekong River Basin Management? 53.1.5 Development Challenges; Sec7_3; 3.2 Attempts at Water Governance in the Mekong Region; 3.2.1 General Overview; 3.2.2 The MRC Agreement 1995 - Contemporary River Basin Cooperation; 3.2.3 Implementing the MRC Agreement; 3.2.4 The Water Utilization Project and the Mekong IWRM Project; 3.2.5 IWRM as the Strategic Framework for Mekong Development; 3.2.6 MRC's Basin Development Plan; 3.3 Geopolitics and the IWRM Approach to Basin Development - Conclusion
3.3.1 The Role of IWRM in a National-Interest Driven Mainstream Dam Evolution3.3.2 Final Note; References; Chapter 4: The Potential of MRC to Pursue IWRM in the Mekong: Trade-offs and Public Participation; 4.1 The Development Context; 4.2 The Role of the MRC; 4.2.1 Relevancy, Mandate and Business-as-Usual; 4.3 Trade-offs in the Mekong; 4.3.1 The Nature of Trade-offs in the Mekong; 4.3.2 The Debate over Fisheries Mitigation; 4.3.3 The MRC and Trade-offs: Opportunities and Challenges; 4.4 Public Participation; 4.4.1 The MRC and Public Participation: An Overview
4.4.2 The MRC and Public Participation: Opportunities and Challenges4.4.2.1 Openness, Transparency and Access to Information; 4.4.2.2 Stakeholder Engagement; 4.4.2.3 Power, Participation and Civil Society; 4.5 Conclusion; References; Chapter 5: Domestic Water Policy Implications on International Transboundary Water Development: A Case Study of Thailand; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Water Management Paradigms and Hydraulic Control; 5.3 The Thai Hydraulic Mission and Inclusive Water Resource Management; 5.3.1 Postwar Hydraulic Mission; 5.3.2 "Two-Pronged" Hydraulic Mission
5.3.3 Hydraulic Mission and Reflexive Water Management
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Water - and its governance - is becoming a global concern partly because it is turning into a goods in short supply, with devastating effects on literally billions of people, but also because it is the "carrier" of global warming; whether through irregular weather patterns or through flooding, water is how global warming will be 'felt'. The lion's share of the globally available fresh water resources is to be found in transboundary systems. In spite of its significance, the generated knowledge on how to deal with transboundary waters is weak and leaves policy makers with seemingly unavoidable, trade-off dilemmas and prioritizations, often with detrimental effects. In order to disentangle this predicament this volume works with one case: the Lower Mekong Basin and covers state-of-the-art academic and practitioners' knowledge and hence appeals to a wide audience. The topic this volume addresses is situated in the nexus of an IR- (International Relations) approach focussing on transboundary politics and its inclination to remain within the sphere of state sovereignty and national interest on the one hand, and Development studies, with its imperatives on participation, planning, and intervention, on the other. The dilemma, we argue, of better understanding transboundary water management lies in how to understand how these two rationalities can be simultaneously nurtured. Audience: This book will be relevant to scholars, as it provides cutting-edge research, and students, since it covers the primary debates in the field, interested in resource management, regional politics, and development issues in the area. It also addresses the global debate on transboundary water management and presents an in-depth case of one of the globally most sophisticated attempts at pursuing sustainable river basin management. Finally, practitioners and policymakers would benefit greatly because all contributions have explicit policy relevance, launching suggestion on improvements in water management.
Sustainable development.
Environmental management.
Waste management.
Political science.
Behavioral sciences.
Ecology .
Sustainable Development.
Water Policy/Water Governance/Water Management.
Waste Management/Waste Technology.
Political Science.
Behavioral Sciences.
Ecology.