Flood risk and resilience in the Netherlands: In search of an adaptive governance approach

In the Netherlands, dealing with the risk of flooding in the face of the current climate change requires a governance approach that is less based upon the long-standing tradition of prevention and protection, and more oriented toward ideas of resilience and adaptivity. Such an approach is assumed to be more resilient compared to static approaches and better equipped to deal with the indeterminate character of a problem like flood risk. This article presents the Dutch attempt to introduce a more polycentric and adaptive governance approach in flood management, called multilayered safety (MLS).We studied this approach via interviews and an extensive document study, and analyzed the institutions governing the issue using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework of Elinor Ostrom. For years, the issue was in the hands of a small network of actors, mainly occupied by water experts and governed by a strong lead organization and permanent bodies. While introducing a new, more adaptive policy concept the government encountered both resistance and inability within the existing policy regime. This article shows that the issue of flood safety was successfully 'tamed' for decades. Adopting a more adaptive and polycentric approach necessitates 'untaming' the issue of flood safety

Meer Grip op het Ongrijpbare

Poremećaj iz autističnog spektra je neurorazvojni poremećaj koji djeluje na razvoj socijalnih interakcija, komunikacijskih i motoričkih vještina te učenje i ponašanje uz ograničene interese i stereotipije. Prosječno vrijeme dijagnosticiranja poremećaja iz spektra autizma jest u dobi djeteta od tri godine, iako se odstupanja u razvoju karakteristična za ovaj poremećaj mogu uočiti i u dobi od 12 mjeseci. Procjenjuje se da se 1/160 djece u svijetu suočava s navedenim poremećajem. Biološki marker za poremećaj iz autističnog spektra nije otkriven pa se dijagnoza i dalje postavlja na temelju ponašajnih obilježja. Dijagnoza poremećaja iz autističnog spektra se očituje drugačijim obiteljskim funkcioniranjem zbog čega je i ostalim članovima obitelji potrebno pružiti psihološku pomoć. Zadaća medicinske sestre je pravovremeno uočavanje odstupanja od urednoga razvoja kod djeteta, usmjeravanje roditelja na stručnjake multidisciplinarnog tima te prilagođavanje intervencija osnovnim potrebama djeteta. Kvaliteta zdravstvene skrbi kod djeteta s poremećajem iz spektra autizma ovisit će o težini simptoma, prihvaćanju dijagnoze od strane obitelji, raspoloživog stručnog osoblja te intenzitetu provođenja metoda rane intervencije u svakodnevici. Terapijski postupci u ranoj intervenciji i kasnijoj dobi trebaju biti prilagođeni djetetovoj dobi, interesima te preferiranom načinu komunikacije. Roditelj u terapijskim postupcima ima ulogu «ko-terapeuta» te je educiran od stručnog osoblja kako pomoći djetetu u svakodnevnom funkcioniranju. Otvoreniji pristup zdravstvenih djelatnika prema djetetu s poremećajem iz autističnog spektra, uz edukaciju roditelja, učitelja i zajednice u cjelini pomaže prihvaćanju dijagnoze na većoj društvenoj razini.Autistic spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the development of social interactions, communication and motor skills, so as learning and behavior with limited interests and stereotypes. The average time to diagnose autistic spectrum disorder is at the age of three years, though the developmental deviations, characteristic for this disorder, can be noticed even at the age of 12 months. It is estimated that 1/160 children in the world are facing this disorder. Since biological marker for autistic spectrum disorder still has not been determined, diagnosis is still based on behavioral features of a child. Diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders manifests by different family functioning, which is why other family members need to be provided with psychological assistance. The nurse's task is to timely notice deviations from early child’s development, to guide parents to multidisciplinary team professionals and to adjust interventions to basic child’s needs. The quality of health care for a child with autistic spectrum disorder depends on the severity of the symptoms, diagnosis acceptance by the family, available professional staff, and the intensity of practicing early intervention methods in everyday life. Therapy procedures in the early intervention time and later in years should be moderated related to the child's age, interests and the preferred way of communication. The parent in therapeutic procedures has the role of a "co-therapist" and is trained by expert staff to help the child in their daily activities. An open approach of healthcare professionals to the child with an autistic spectrum disorder, combined with the education of parents, teachers and the community as a whole, helps to accept the diagnosis at a higher social level

Policy transfer routes: an evidence-based conceptual model to explain policy adoption

Although studies on policy transfer have expanded, a general and comprehensive understanding of policy transfer is lacking. This study offers an evidence-based explanation of policy transfer processes. We extracted constraining and facilitating factors from 180 empirical studies using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis) and aggregated these factors into a conceptual framework. We synthesize our findings in four “transfer routes”. We conclude that actors could shape a subset of those factors by taking certain decisions regarding transferability, adoptability and process design, albeit within the boundaries of the environment

Ambidextrous practices in public service organizations

For public service organizations (PSOs) it is essential to be able to simultaneously optimize and innovate policies, processes and services. This article explores how PSOs shape these dual practices by examining optimization and innovation practices in eight Dutch regional water authorities (RWAs) using focus groups. It uncovers mutually reinforcing differences in culture, strategy and management leading to different ambidextrous configurations. In low ambidextrous RWAs a legalistic taskorientation goes along with a transactional management style and focus on optimization only. In high ambidextrous RWAs a societal value-orientation, integrative strategies, and a more transformational management style lead to more embedded innovation practices

A qualitative comparative analysis of collaborative governance structures as applied in urban gardens

Many public issues require collaboration between governments, private actors, NGOs, civic organizations, and individual organizations. Initiating such a collaboration is challenging, but sustaining such a partnership can be even more difficult. This paper aims to explore what types of collaborative governance structures (CGSs) are found in urban gardens that have continued to exist over the years and that have been discontinued. In order to do this, we analysed 14 urban gardens in the Netherlands as striking examples of CGSs. By applying Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA), we were able to unravel plausible explanations for gardens that (did not) stand the test of time. The analysis shows that financial independence, strong institutionalization, and having a small core group of volunteers is the most important configuration for the durability of an urban garden. Even though some gardens were meant to be temporary, this structure made them durable. Two urban gardens – envisioned to be temporal – did not develop an institutional design or financial independence, which led to their discontinuation

HWBP: Kennisdoorwerking : Stand van zaken rondom het laten stromen van kennis vanuit POV's naar projecten toe

Op dit moment lopen er vier project overstijgende verkenningen (POVs) bij het Hoogwaterbeschermingsprogramma (HWBP). Deze POVs zijn kennisintensief en er wordt dan ook veel kennis ontwikkeld. Deze kennis is soms te vatten in documenten, maar soms betreft het ervaringskennis, welke moeilijker overdraagbaar is. Het leren tussen de betrokken partijen (overheden, kennisinstellingen en bedrijfsleven) wordt als een belangrijk aspect gezien om de overall ambitie van het HWBP te halen. De programmadirectie faciliteert en stimuleert het overstijgend leren tussen de verschillende projecten en POVs. Een belangrijk aspect hierbij is om aandacht te besteden aan het ontsluiten, borgen en toepassen van de in de POVs opgedane kennis/ervaring in de HWBP-projecten. Bij het voorliggende onderzoeksrapport staat dit centraal. De programmadirectie wil graag in kaart brengen op welke wijze de POVs en relevante projecten de ontwikkelde kennis gaan borgen - of dat al reeds hebben gedaan - opdat toekomstige HWBP projecten bij alle waterschappen hier gebruik van kunnen maken. Onderzoeksvraag hierbij is op welke wijze wordt de kennis en kunde uit de vier lopende POVs geborgd en hoe werkt het door in uitvoeringsprojecten van het HWBP, de daarbij betrokken organisaties en nationaal beleid (ontwerp- en toetsinstrumentarium)? In deze rapportage wordt per POV aangegeven welke activiteiten zijn ondernomen om de kennis door te laten stromen. Per POV worden enkele adviezen gegeven. Tevens zijn er generieke aanbevelingen voor de huidige POVs, nog op te starten POVs en op systeemniveau

Water Managers' Boundary Judgments and Adaptive Water Governance. An Analysis of the Dutch Haringvliet Sluices Case

__Abstract__ In this paper, we explore how managing actors' boundary judgments influence the adaptability of water governance. We approach this question by examining the relationship between the way water managers frame, and act in, complex water issues on the one hand and develop adaptive water governance strategies on the other. We define four categories of boundary judgments made by water managers in order to deal with the complexities in water governance issues. An in-depth case study analysis of an attempt to adjust the management of the water regime in the south-west Delta of the Netherlands is provided in order to reconstruct the water managers' boundary judgments and their impact upon governance strategies used. We found that, most of the time, the water managers involved predominantly made tight boundary judgments. These tight boundary judgments seemed to hamper the mutual learning process among a variety of stakeholders that is needed to realize adaptive water governance. We argue that wide boundary judgments enhance the chance of realizing adaptive practices and build upon exploration, learning, and connection