ABSTRACT
With the increase of communication means, it has become easier than ever for policymakers, water managers, researchers and other actors involved in water management to collaborate. As explained in Chapter 1, this collaborative environment creates opportunities for developing best practices and transferring water management solutions from one context to another. This chapter elaborates on some of the ‘universal remedies’ and on the concept of policy transfer in a water management context. First, we discuss three concepts that are often promoted as ‘the solution’ to water management problems: integrated water resources management, good water governance and participatory water management. In addition to reviewing the common definitions and understandings of these concepts, we also reflect on the issue of putting them in practice. This elaboration of the key concepts in modern water management is followed by a discussion about the phenomenon of ‘policy transfer’. After discussing the phenomenon itself and explaining what, why and who transfers, we pay specific attention to the outcomes of a transfer process and the role of contextual factors. The chapter closes with some concluding remarks that reflect on how this chapter relates to Chapter 3, which forms together with this chapter the theoretical basis of the empirical chapters of the book. The discussions presented in this chapter are based on a literature review of scholarly articles as well as international reports and policy documents. Where relevant, the review extends beyond water management to the broader literature on policy studies and environmental decision-making. The ideas introduced in this chapter are critically reflected upon in Chapter 15, which is the concluding chapter of this book.
