Participative and Stakeholder-Based Policy Design, Evaluation and Modeling Processes

Abstract

The general shift towards a polycentric understanding of policy making requires the involvement of stakeholders as active participants into the policy process at different levels of societal organization. This is particularly true for water resource management where the traditional approach to solving environmental problems with technological fixes and end-of-pipe solutions has started to shift towards a more thoughtful attitude. This involves the development of integrated approaches to problem solving and to include stakeholder perspectives. This tendency receives strong support by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) that emphasizes an integrated approach to water resources management at basin scale. The WFD requires the inclusion of stakeholders in the process of developing and adopting a river basin management plan. In order to improve stakeholder-based policy design and modeling processes innovation and research is required in linking analytical methods and participatory approaches. Factual knowledge and analytical techniques have to be combined with local knowledge and subjective perceptions of the various stakeholder groups.