How knowledge enables governance:The coproduction of environmental governance capacity

The creation and mobilization of knowledge are key issues in environmental governance. Consequently, understanding the roles that knowledge may play in governance is crucial for enabling well-informed governance arrangements. An aspect of knowledge-governance interactions that has received relatively little focused attention is that knowledge can be understood to be an intrinsic element of environmental governance. This paper aims to further the theoretical and empirical insight into this aspect. In order to do so, it elaborates a framework that conceptualizes various governance capacities, i.e. regulatory, adaptive, and integrative capacity, in terms of the coproduction of knowledge, values, and social order. This framework is applied in the analysis of three domains of governance that notably concern the management of the Dutch Wadden Sea area. The findings suggest that settling disputes about natural resources, and working towards a sustainable equilibrium between conserving and utilizing nature, may be enabled by means of interactive and flexible governance arrangements that complement centralized governance. Moreover, knowledge may constitute the governance capacities that are needed for reaching such an equilibrium in various ways: as a steering mechanism, as a key to learning, and as a connective element of governance. The findings indicate that enabling well-informed environmental governance is not just a matter of managing the interfaces between knowledge and governance, but also a matter of capacity-building in order to bring about reflexive governance arrangements

Governing knowledge:Understanding the interplay between knowledge and coastal governance

Joint knowledge creation and intensive deliberation are crucial for well-informed nature management. The management of the Wadden Sea area involves many parties, including governments, companies, and nature conservation organizations. Conflicting interests and insights often spur controversies about the permissibility of for instance fisheries and gas mining. Knowledge plays an important role in such cases. Decision making about nature conservation requires scientific knowledge. However, the role of knowledge is equivocal and even contested. Fishers, sailors, and companies often draw upon other knowledge than nature conservationists do. Uncertainties and conflicting interpretations hamper good connections between knowledge creation and nature management. This PhD thesis focuses on collaborative processes in which policy makers and societal organizations try to solve conflicts about the utilization and conservation of nature in coastal areas. The research aims to provide insight into the interplay between knowledge and nature management. Furthermore, it provides recommendations on how knowledge can contribute to the sustainable use and management of natural resources. The research includes studies on the mussel fishery, coastal protection, and recreational boating in the Wadden Sea area. The research shows that a combination of strategies can help to deal with conflicts between conservationists and users of natural resources. Examples include engaging in intensive deliberations, working according to a set of negotiated rules, and performing collaborative research and monitoring. Furthermore, the research provides insight into different ways in which knowledge can contribute to participatory forms of nature management. This may facilitate bridging conflicting perspectives and productively dealing with uncertainty and natural dynamics

Differential Effects of Environmental and Genetic Factors on T and B Cell Immune Traits

Effective immunity requires a complex network of cellular and humoral components that interact with each other and are influenced by different environmental and host factors. We used a systems biology approach to comprehensively assess the impact of environmental and genetic factors on immune cell populations in peripheral blood, including associations with immunoglobulin concentrations, from ∼500 healthy volunteers from the Human Functional Genomics Project. Genetic heritability estimation showed that variations in T cell numbers are more strongly driven by genetic factors, while B cell counts are more environmentally influenced. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping identified eight independent genomic loci associated with leukocyte count variation, including four associations with T and B cell subtypes. The QTLs identified were enriched among genome-wide association study (GWAS) SNPs reported to increase susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases. Our systems approach provides insights into cellular and humoral immune trait variability in humans

Issues of knowledge and expertise in policy arrangements: An exploratory case study of the dynamic preservation approach to coastal management

Since 1990, the Dutch government applies the approach of dynamic preservation to coastal management. One of the characteristics of this approach is that, compared to the old approach, more room is allowed for natural dynamic movement of sand, in order to preserve the coastline, increase coastal resilience and improve ecological values in coastal zones. This paper presents an exploratory case study on this dynamic approach to coastal management. The case study focuses on the way the approach has developed over the years, and on the issues concerning knowledge and expertise of different groups of actors involved in the policy process. As an analytical framework, the concept of policy arrangements is combined with theories and concepts of Science and Technology Studies (STS). Two controversies concerning dynamic preservation are explored: one in which NGO’s problematized the ecological effects of beach nourishment, the other involving public resistance on the Dutch Wadden Islands against dynamic coastal management. In both controversies, issues are identified concerning the roles and problems of knowledge and expertise in coastal governance, which provide promising directions for further research. These include the role of policy discourses as boundary objects, framings of public knowledge, and processes of boundary work in policy coalitions