Water governance
Flood risk management is not an exclusive responsibility of governments anymore. Across Europe, citizens are increasingly expected to participate in the implementation of flood risk management. In a journal article – and based on STAR-FLOOD research – we make a comparison between Flanders, England, France, the Netherlands and Poland. The comparison shows that ‘co-production’ with citizens is most outspoken in England, but is also emergent in France in Flanders. By contrast, FRM in the Netherlands and Poland remains almost exclusively reliant on governmental protection measures. The article tries to find explanatory factors.
- Mees H., Crabbé A., Alexander M., Kaufmann M., Bruzzone L., Levy L., Lewandowski J. Co-producing flood risk management through citizen involvement – insights from cross-country comparison in Europe. Submitted to Ecology and Society on 28-12-2015.
Both in Flanders and Wallonia, initiatives have been taken to involve stakeholders at the sub-basin scale. In an article we explore how coordination platforms at this sub-basin scale can contribute to so-called integrated water resources management. Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, a comparison is made of the Flemish sub-basin boards and the Walloon river contracts.
- Mees H., Suykens C. & Crabbé A. Evaluating conditions for Integrated Water Resources Management at sub-basin scale. A comparison of the Flemish sub-basin boards and Walloon river contracts. Submitted to Environmental Policy and Governance on 10-02-2016.
Hannelore Mees, a researcher at the research group Environment & Society, prepares a PhD thesis on shifting responsibilities between public and private actors in flood risk management. The thesis is due to be finished by early 2017.
