ABSTRACT
Preface When I graduated in 1994 from the Vrije Universiteit in Economics, my supervisor Peter Tack said in his short speech that he would not be surprised if I would continue in some way in academia. At the time I didn’t think much of it, yet somehow his statement remained stuck in the back of my mind. The first ten years after graduation I worked as a management consultant. I enjoyed this work tremendously as it acquainted me with a lot of different clients and analytical problems. Even I got to know different countries, as I worked and lived for Ernst & Young Management Consultants for about three years in Suriname advising a diversity of organisations like the local beer company, the oil refinery, a shrimp company, a rum producer and the Ministry of Finance. For Royal Haskoning Consulting Engineers I worked and lived in Egypt acting as the right hand of the financial director of a large water utility. In Egypt it was the first time I became involved in the water industry and I found it really enticing. When I had in 2003 the opportunity to work for UNESCO-IHE, the Institute for Water Education in Delft, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to deepen my understanding of the sector’s characteristics. At UNESCO-IHE I found a vitalizing environment. During lunch the restaurant is like the United Nations with students from all nationalities. My prime responsibility when I joined UNESCO-IHE was to act as an administrative project leader for a large research project funded by the European Union. The project was called Euromarket, undertaken by nine European knowledge institutes over a three year period and aimed to construct scenarios for the liberalisation of the European water sector. For me, this project taught me a lot about research, partnerships, academia, the water sector and liberalisation. Next to this project, I had my regular activities as senior-lecturer in teaching and mentoring of students. Also I got involved, given my experience, in several external consultancies, like the one in St. Maarten that features in this dissertation. When joining UNESCO-IHE, I indicated that I would find it valuable to pursue a PhD, although at that time I had no clear idea about the topic or about what such endeavour entailed. However, over the years, the idea took shape and I tried as much as possible to feed regular activities into this idea. It is said that to pursue a PhD is a lonely journey. And indeed, I found this to be true. Yet I am strongly convinced that this relative solitary state of years is not necessarily a bad thing. Even more, I believe that finding one’s own path is one of the most important learning elements of the PhD process. The result of this journey you find now literally in your hands. My feelings, with respect to haven taken this journey, are best expressed by the Greek poet Kavafis in 19111:
When you leave for Ithaca, may your journey be long and full of adventures and knowledge. Don’t lose sight of Ithaca, for that’s your destination. But take your time; better that the journey lasts many a year and that your boat only drops anchor on the island when you have grown rich with what you learned on the way. Don’t expect Ithaca to give you many riches. Ithaca has already given you a fine voyage; without Ithaca you would never have parted. Ithaca gave you everything and can give you no more. If in the end you think that Ithaca is poor, don’t think that she has cheated you. Because you have grown wise and lived an intense life, and that’s the meaning of Ithaca.
