Bridges & Watersheds. A narrative analysis of watermanagement in England, Wales and the Netherlands

What is good water management, if we take scarcity of water, combined with climate change, the rise of sea level and a growing world population into account? Can water management be privatized? Or should the role and the position of the nation state even be strengthened to protect the environment and the citizens? Dicke has conducted a narrative analysis of water management in England, Wales and the Netherlands. Hundred years ago, water used to be a national public good. The nation state was pivotal in water management. Nowadays, water is considered to be part of a global water system. This view transforms water from a national to a global public good. As a result, the nation state is not the only actor, which has a say in the management of this global public good. This transformation places the public private divide once again at the center of attention.
The present debate about privatization, both in England and in the Netherlands, is incomplete. It does not take all dimensions of the public private divide into account. Dicke suggests that both visibility (transparency) and collectivity (water belongs to us all) should be considered. The issue is not whether water management is provided by a nation state or not. The issue should be whether the dimensions of collectivity and visibility are well balanced. This can only be achieved through a restoration of the link between water and society.

Willemijn Dicke is assistant professor at Delft University of Technology at the Department of Public Management Organisation & Management.