Governing transboundary waters: Canada, the United States and indigenous communities

Norman, E.S. (2015) Governing transboundary waters: Canada, the United States and indigenous communities. New York, Routledge.

This book explores how colonial politics impact water governance – particularly for Indigenous communities spanning international borders.  The book examines the cultural politics of ‘transboundary water governance’ in a postcolonial context and highlights how Indigenous-led efforts are reframing water governance and politics. The hopeful cases provide insight into the power of reframing water governance by and for Indigenous Peoples.

Endorsement: Bringing together politics of coloniality and indigenous struggles for territorial, cultural and resource rights with water politics at the US-Canada border, this work makes significant conceptual and policy relevant contributions. Skillfully weaving diverse narratives, experiences, and moments of relevance for Indigenous communities on both sides of the border, the book makes for an inspiring read that explores key debates for contemporary water governance. – Karen Bakker and Leila Harris, Co-Directors, Program on Water Governance, University of British Columbia, Canada.

For more information, or to purchase a copy of this text, visit  http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415838597/

WATER, EQUITY AND RESILIENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Rodina, L., Baker, L.A., Galvin, M., Golden, J., Harris, L.M., Manungfala, T., Musemwa, M., Sutherland, C., & G. Ziervogel (2017). Water, equity and resilience in Southern Africa: future directions for research and practice. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 26-27: 143-151. Preprint PDF of the article here.

New article: Whose input counts? Evaluating the process and outcomes of public consultation through the BC Water Act Modernization

This new article examines the role and outcomes of public consultation in policy making through the case study of British Columbia’s Water Act Modernization. The study analyses both the WAM consultation process and outcomes, highlighting patterns in alignment between the policy preferences of various submitter groups and the policies incorporated into the Water Sustainability Act.

Jollymore, A., McFarlane, K., Harris, L. (2017) Whose input counts? Evaluating the process and outcomes of public consultation through the BC Water Act Modernization. Critical Policy Studies, in press. DOI: 10.1080/19460171.2017.1282377

The accepted manuscript of the published article is available here. A policy brief, summarizing the key messages and implications for decision makers from this article is available here.

New Book: Global Water Ethics

A new book titled ‘Global Water Ethics: Towards a Global Ethics Charter’ (Routledge, 2017) has just been published, edited by Rafael Ziegler and David Groenfeldt.

This edited collection assembles a range of perspectives on the theory and practice of water ethics. Contributions consider the difficult ethical and epistemological questions of water ethics in a global context, as well as offering local, empirical perspectives. Case study chapters focus on a range of countries including Canada, China, Germany, India, South Africa and the USA. The respective insights are brought together in the final section concerning the practical project of a universal water ethics charter, alongside theoretical questions about the legitimacy of a global water ethics.

The book includes a chapter from PoWG’s Lucy Rodina, titled ‘Reflections on water ethics and the human right to water in Khayelitsha, South Africa.’ In this chapter Lucy draws on her Masters and PhD research to provide situated reflections on the ethical implications of the widely-touted ‘human right to water’ for water distribution and access.

Further information and a discount offer is contained in the attached flyer.

New Article: “Standing on the shoulders of giants: Understanding changes in urban water practice through the lens of complexity science”

A newly published paper on the utility of complexity theory in enhancing urban water policy and practice – see below for details!

G. Dunn, R. R. Brown, J. J. Bos & K. Bakker (2016): Standing on the shoulders of giants: Understanding changes in urban water practice through the lens of complexity science, Urban Water Journal, DOI: 10.1080/1573062X.2016.1241284.

http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/xAdWDMtqYyjB8RkTAqnI/full 

NEW ARTICLE: MICROBIAL RISK GOVERNANCE – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT IN CANADA

Members of the Program on Water Governance present a new journal article that analyzes the barriers and opportunities that decentralized water governance regimes in Canada pose to effective microbial risk assessment and management for drinking water and recreational water quality.

Full details on the study can be found in:

Dunn, G., Harris, L. and K. Bakker (2015) Microbial Risk Governance:
Challenges and Opportunities in Canada. Canadian Water Resources Journal 40(3): 273-249.

RA opportunity for Sustainable Water Governance and Indigenous Law project

RA will be responsible for developing and leading a multi-platform social media campaign for the project. Prior knowledge of NationBuilder, WordPress, HTML, JavaScript and Bootstap an asset. 10 hours/week.

Please send CV and cover letter to water.partners@ubc.ca by October 21, 2016.

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