Vasna Ramasar
Docent
Fluid Governance : Scalar politics in the South African waterscape
Författare
Summary, in Swedish
Popular Abstract in English
Practices of scaling are an everyday part of governance. To ignore the way scaling is used as an intended or unintended means of securing power is a depoliticizing act. In this thesis, I consider processes of scaling and how they shape water governance in South Africa. Investigating three cases, namely, the De Hoop Dam development, water service delivery in Johannesburg and proposed hydraulic fracturing of the Karoo, I show how scale framing, scale jumping, scale bending and scale fixing are used to shift decision making across scales and levels. Actors produce and transform scale as a means of inclusion or exclusion. Based on the findings of the research, I draw three conclusions regarding water governance, scale and power. Firstly, water governance in South Africa is highly political and inequalities and injustices are being perpetuated, especially against poor, black residential water users. Patterns of water use have not changed substantially despite reform processes. Secondly, IWRM-led water governance has flaws that require a rethink of the discourse, especially in developing country contexts. Thirdly, scales are constantly produced through social relations and processes of scaling are political. The politics of scaling are constantly shaping environmental governance, social relations and the material world and deserves our attention.
Practices of scaling are an everyday part of governance. To ignore the way scaling is used as an intended or unintended means of securing power is a depoliticizing act. In this thesis, I consider processes of scaling and how they shape water governance in South Africa. Investigating three cases, namely, the De Hoop Dam development, water service delivery in Johannesburg and proposed hydraulic fracturing of the Karoo, I show how scale framing, scale jumping, scale bending and scale fixing are used to shift decision making across scales and levels. Actors produce and transform scale as a means of inclusion or exclusion. Based on the findings of the research, I draw three conclusions regarding water governance, scale and power. Firstly, water governance in South Africa is highly political and inequalities and injustices are being perpetuated, especially against poor, black residential water users. Patterns of water use have not changed substantially despite reform processes. Secondly, IWRM-led water governance has flaws that require a rethink of the discourse, especially in developing country contexts. Thirdly, scales are constantly produced through social relations and processes of scaling are political. The politics of scaling are constantly shaping environmental governance, social relations and the material world and deserves our attention.
Avdelning/ar
- LUCSUS
Publiceringsår
2014
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Lund Dissertations in Sustainability Science
Fulltext
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Dokumenttyp
Doktorsavhandling
Förlag
Lund University
Ämne
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Nyckelord
- governance
- scale
- water
- politics
Aktiv
Published
Projekt
- LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability
Forskningsgrupp
- LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability
Handledare
- Lennart Olsson
- Stefan Anderberg
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISBN: 978-91-979832-8-0
Försvarsdatum
7 november 2014
Försvarstid
10:15
Försvarsplats
Room Ostrom, Josephson, Biskopsgatan 5, Lund
Opponent
- Vandana Desai (Dr)