IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ieaple/v24y2024i2d10.1007_s10784-024-09644-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The split ladder of policy problems, participation, and politicization: constitutional water change in Ecuador and Chile

Author

Listed:
  • Margot Hurlbert

    (University of Regina)

  • Joyeeta Gupta

    (University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht)

Abstract

There is debate about whether complex problems should be addressed technocratically or whether they should be politicized. While many tend to favour technocratic decision-making and evidence based policy, for others politicization of policy problems is fundamental for significant policy change. But politicization does not always lead to problem solving. Nor is it always necessary. This paper addresses the question: Under what circumstances should problems be politicized, and what is the effect of such politicization? It adds politicization, through windows of opportunity, to the split ladder of participation to assess policy change through two case studies: successful and unsuccessful constitutional change in Ecuador (2008) and Chile respectively (2022). It argues that where there is no agreement on either science or policy, politicization is required to address lack of consensus in values, but constitutional protection is needed to protect minorities and the vulnerable, their access and human right to water. De-politicization stymies policy change potentially harming democracy. This paper argues for a citizen engaged exploration of the complex problem of climate change and its impacts on water, but a targeted politicization coincident with, but developed well in advance of, windows of opportunity. Moreover, policy framing correlated with complex problems continues to be a key consideration. Furthermore, alliances of disparate actors, elections of new political leaders and considerations of property rights and justice issues are paramount. Significant constitutional policy change reflects social learning, but subsequent court actions by policy entrepreneurs is required to effectively implement this change. Framing constitutional change to protect rights to water and effect international agreements (including the Warsaw International Mechanism under the climate change regime) advances water justice and may increase success.

Suggested Citation

  • Margot Hurlbert & Joyeeta Gupta, 2024. "The split ladder of policy problems, participation, and politicization: constitutional water change in Ecuador and Chile," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 373-391, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:24:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10784-024-09644-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10784-024-09644-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10784-024-09644-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10784-024-09644-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Craig M. Kauffman & Pamela L. Martin, 2014. "Scaling up Buen Vivir: Globalizing Local Environmental Governance from Ecuador," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 14(1), pages 40-58, February.
    2. Katharina Panten & Bernadette F. Heel & Jan M. Fliervoet & Riyan J. G. Born, 2018. "Cross-Border Collaboration in River Management: Views on Participation in a Dutch-German Case Study," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 32(12), pages 4063-4078, September.
    3. Andrés Martínez Moscoso & Víctor Gerardo Aguilar Feijó & Teodoro Verdugo Silva, 2018. "The Vital Minimum Amount of Drinking Water Required in Ecuador," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Pritee Sharma & Salla Nithyanth Kumar, 2020. "The global governance of water, energy, and food nexus: allocation and access for competing demands," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 377-391, June.
    5. Andrés Martínez Moscoso & Rhett Larson, 2019. "Forestry management and water law: comparing Ecuador and Arizona," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 337-353, April.
    6. Patricio Mena-Vásconez & Linden Vincent & Jeroen Vos & Rutgerd Boelens, 2017. "Fighting over water values: diverse framings of flower and food production with communal irrigation in the Ecuadorian Andes," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 443-461, May.
    7. Benjamin T. Wood & Andrew J. Dougill & Lindsay C. Stringer & Claire H. Quinn, 2018. "Implementing Climate-Compatible Development in the Context of Power: Lessons for Encouraging Procedural Justice through Community-Based Projects," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-23, May.
    8. Leontien Cremers & Marjolein Ooijevaar & Rutgerd Boelens, 2005. "Institutional reform in the Andean irrigation sector: Enabling policies for strengthening local rights and water management," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(1), pages 37-50, February.
    9. Dupuits, Emilie & Baud, Michiel & Boelens, Rutgerd & de Castro, Fabio & Hogenboom, Barbara, 2020. "Scaling up but losing out? Water commons' dilemmas between transnational movements and grassroots struggles in Latin America," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    10. Laura Basco-Carrera & Eelco Beek & Andreja Jonoski & Camilo Benítez-Ávila & FX PJ Guntoro, 2017. "Collaborative Modelling for Informed Decision Making and Inclusive Water Development," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(9), pages 2611-2625, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Naho Mirumachi & Margot Hurlbert, 2022. "Reflecting on twenty years of international agreements concerning water governance: insights and key learning," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 317-332, June.
    2. Hao Yang & Wei He & Yu Li, 2022. "Optimization of Ecological Water Replenishment Scheme Based on the Interval Fuzzy Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Method: Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve, Jilin Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Kauffman, Craig M. & Martin, Pamela L., 2017. "Can Rights of Nature Make Development More Sustainable? Why Some Ecuadorian lawsuits Succeed and Others Fail," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 130-142.
    4. Cappelli, Federica & Caravaggio, Nicola & Vaquero-Piñeiro, Cristina, 2022. "Buen Vivir and forest conservation in Bolivia: False promises or effective change?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    5. Tschakert, Petra & Parsons, Meg & Atkins, Ed & Garcia, Alicea & Godden, Naomi & Gonda, Noemi & Henrique, Karen Paiva & Sallu, Susannah & Steen, Karin & Ziervogel, Gina, 2023. "Methodological lessons for negotiating power, political capabilities, and resilience in research on climate change responses," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    6. Kate J. Neville & Glen Coulthard, 2019. "Transformative Water Relations: Indigenous Interventions in Global Political Economies," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, August.
    7. Hoogesteger, Jaime & Bolding, Alex & Sanchis-Ibor, Carles & Veldwisch, Gert Jan & Venot, Jean-Philippe & Vos, Jeroen & Boelens, Rutgerd, 2023. "Communality in farmer managed irrigation systems: Insights from Spain, Ecuador, Cambodia and Mozambique," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    8. Vos, Jeroen & Boelens, Rutgerd & Venot, Jean-Philippe & Kuper, Marcel, 2020. "Rooted water collectives: Towards an analytical framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. García-Mollá, Marta & Ortega-Reig, Mar & Boelens, Rutgerd & Sanchis-Ibor, Carles, 2020. "Hybridizing the commons. Privatizing and outsourcing collective irrigation management after technological change in Spain," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    10. Lucia Cecchi & Enrico Conti & Letizia Ravagli, 2022. "The determinants of domestic water demand and the equity of tariffs: Empirical evidence from an Italian municipality," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(3), pages 373-395.
    11. Rizkiana Sidqiyatul Hamdani & Sudharto Prawata Hadi & Iwan Rudiarto, 2021. "Progress or Regress? A Systematic Review on Two Decades of Monitoring and Addressing Land Subsidence Hazards in Semarang City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-26, December.
    12. Joyeeta Gupta & Aarti Gupta & Courtney Vegelin, 2022. "Equity, justice and the SDGs: lessons learnt from two decades of INEA scholarship," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 393-409, June.
    13. Laura Aileen Sauls, 2020. "Becoming fundable? Converting climate justice claims into climate finance in Mesoamerica’s forests," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 307-325, July.
    14. Di Vaio, Assunta & Trujillo, Lourdes & D'Amore, Gabriella & Palladino, Rosa, 2021. "Water governance models for meeting sustainable development Goals:A structured literature review," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Todd A. Eisenstadt & Karleen Jones West, 2017. "Indigenous Belief Systems, Science, and Resource Extraction: Climate Change Attitudes in Ecuador," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 17(1), pages 40-58, February.
    16. Christopher Schulz & Antonio A. R. Ioris, 2017. "The Paradox of Water Abundance in Mato Grosso, Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-18, October.
    17. Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio & García-López, Gustavo & D'Alisa, Giacomo, 2022. "Social Movements and Commons: In Theory and in Practice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    18. Vieira, Ana C.L. & Oliveira, Mónica D. & Bana e Costa, Carlos A., 2020. "Enhancing knowledge construction processes within multicriteria decision analysis: The Collaborative Value Modelling framework," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    19. Fanny Cabrera Barbecho & Juan Pablo Sarmiento, 2023. "Exploring Technical Efficiency in Water Supply Evidence from Ecuador: Do Region Location and Management Type Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-22, April.
    20. Zorica Srdjevic & Naoyuki Funamizu & Bojan Srdjevic & Ratko Bajčetić, 2018. "Public Participation in Water Management of Krivaja River, Serbia: Understanding the Problem through Grounded Theory Methodology," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 32(15), pages 5081-5092, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:24:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10784-024-09644-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.