Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by co... more Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by complexity. Knowledge uncertainty and the existence of divergent actors' perceptions contribute to this complexity. Consequently, dealing with water management issues is not just a problem of knowledge uncertainty; it is a problem of ambiguity too. In this paper, we investigate how a decision-making process, for a complex water management issue, influences the creation of a knowledge base, the development of actors' perceptions and the formulation of a problem-solution combination. There are many different approaches to decision-making processes. We distinguish two 'extremes': the analytical decision-making approach and the participatory decision-making approach. In the analytical approach, decision-making is based on rationality and objectivity. This process is non-interactive, i.e. it assumes one steering actor. Participatory decision- making is an interactive process. Du...
Water management is a central and ongoing issue in the Netherlands. Large infrastructural project... more Water management is a central and ongoing issue in the Netherlands. Large infrastructural projects are being carried out and planned in a number of water systems. These initiatives operate within a complex web of interactions, between short- and long-term, economic costs and benefits, technical feasibility, environmental impact, national and international policy and regulations, and general public interest. In this PhD-project,
Begin september 2008 bracht de Deltacommissie 2, onder leiding van oud-minister Veerman, haar adv... more Begin september 2008 bracht de Deltacommissie 2, onder leiding van oud-minister Veerman, haar advies uit over de bescherming tegen de gevolgen van klimaatverandering. De reacties op dit advies waren in eerste instantie lovend, maar deze geluiden maakten al snel plaats voor kritiek uit allerlei windrichtingen. Waarom gaat de commissie uit van een worstcase scenario van 130 centimeter zeespiegelstijging per eeuw?
This report describes the case study research on the Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, that is c... more This report describes the case study research on the Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, that is conducted by Ir Saskia Hommes as part of her PhD-project, as complete as possible. In the period from April to November 2005, the researcher participated in the project Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, which is part of Project Mainport Rotterdam, by attending and observing project meetings.
Comparative and Functional Genomics - COMPAR FUNCT GENOM, 2004
Op het Nederlands Continentaal Plat wordt jaarlijks gemiddeld 30·106 m3 zand gewonnen voor opvulz... more Op het Nederlands Continentaal Plat wordt jaarlijks gemiddeld 30·106 m3 zand gewonnen voor opvulzand, suppleties en grote infrastructurele projecten. In de nabije toekomst zullen landaanwinningprojecten en zandwinning voor de industrie leiden tot grotere en diepere zandputten en zandwinning op zandbanken. In dit onderzoek richten we ons op de fysische effecten van grootschalige (> 10·106 m3) zandwinning op de Zeeland banken, een groep banken gelegen voor de kust van Zeeland en Zuid-Holland. Het doel van dit onderzoek is het maken van een inventarisatie van instrumenten, die gebruikt kunnen worden om de fysische lange termijn effecten van grootschalige zandwinning op de Zeeland banken te voorspellen, om het Nederlandse besluitvormingsproces te ondersteunen. Om het geformuleerde doel te bereiken, wordt de informatiebehoefte van beleidsmakers en andere belanghebbende bepaald. Een belangrijk hulpmiddel hierbij is het definiëren van een set van Coastal State Indicators (CSI’s); een kw...
ABSTRACT The Dutch government wants to expand Mainport Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the... more ABSTRACT The Dutch government wants to expand Mainport Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the world, by land reclamation in the North Sea. This may affect the Wadden Sea, a unique wetlands area protected by the European Bird and Habitat Directives. To assess the impact of the port extension on the Wadden Sea, an Appropriate Assessment procedure was carried out. We investigated how stakeholders' perceptions were dealt with and how knowledge was used in this decision-making process. Our findings form an argument for practitioners in coastal management to choose a process-oriented approach to deal with complex issues.
Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by co... more Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by complexity. Knowledge uncertainty and the existence of divergent actors' perceptions contribute to this complexity. Consequently, dealing with water management issues is not just a problem of knowledge uncertainty; it is a problem of ambiguity too. In this paper, we investigate how a decision-making process, for a complex water management issue, influences the creation of a knowledge base, the development of actors' perceptions and the formulation of a problem-solution combination. There are many different approaches to decision-making processes. We distinguish two 'extremes': the analytical decision-making approach and the participatory decision-making approach. In the analytical approach, decision-making is based on rationality and objectivity. This process is non-interactive, i.e. it assumes one steering actor. Participatory decisionmaking is an interactive process. During this process several actors contribute to problem structuring. In literature, many examples of empirical case studies on decision-making processes for water management can be found. Nonetheless, as every decision-making process is unique, it is difficult to compare results from different case studies. Therefore, the aim of the study presented in this paper is to make such a comparison using two decision-making processes, which focus on the same problem situation. This comparison sheds a light on the effectiveness of participatory processes, while most literature simply assumes such effectiveness.
Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by co... more Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by complexity. Knowledge uncertainty and the existence of divergent actors' perceptions contribute to this complexity. Consequently, dealing with water management issues is not just a problem of knowledge uncertainty; it is a problem of ambiguity too. In this paper, we investigate how a decision-making process, for a complex water management issue, influences the creation of a knowledge base, the development of actors' perceptions and the formulation of a problem-solution combination. There are many different approaches to decision-making processes. We distinguish two 'extremes': the analytical decision-making approach and the participatory decision-making approach. In the analytical approach, decision-making is based on rationality and objectivity. This process is non-interactive, i.e. it assumes one steering actor. Participatory decision- making is an interactive process. Du...
Water management is a central and ongoing issue in the Netherlands. Large infrastructural project... more Water management is a central and ongoing issue in the Netherlands. Large infrastructural projects are being carried out and planned in a number of water systems. These initiatives operate within a complex web of interactions, between short- and long-term, economic costs and benefits, technical feasibility, environmental impact, national and international policy and regulations, and general public interest. In this PhD-project,
Begin september 2008 bracht de Deltacommissie 2, onder leiding van oud-minister Veerman, haar adv... more Begin september 2008 bracht de Deltacommissie 2, onder leiding van oud-minister Veerman, haar advies uit over de bescherming tegen de gevolgen van klimaatverandering. De reacties op dit advies waren in eerste instantie lovend, maar deze geluiden maakten al snel plaats voor kritiek uit allerlei windrichtingen. Waarom gaat de commissie uit van een worstcase scenario van 130 centimeter zeespiegelstijging per eeuw?
This report describes the case study research on the Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, that is c... more This report describes the case study research on the Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, that is conducted by Ir Saskia Hommes as part of her PhD-project, as complete as possible. In the period from April to November 2005, the researcher participated in the project Appropriate Assessment Wadden Sea, which is part of Project Mainport Rotterdam, by attending and observing project meetings.
Comparative and Functional Genomics - COMPAR FUNCT GENOM, 2004
Op het Nederlands Continentaal Plat wordt jaarlijks gemiddeld 30·106 m3 zand gewonnen voor opvulz... more Op het Nederlands Continentaal Plat wordt jaarlijks gemiddeld 30·106 m3 zand gewonnen voor opvulzand, suppleties en grote infrastructurele projecten. In de nabije toekomst zullen landaanwinningprojecten en zandwinning voor de industrie leiden tot grotere en diepere zandputten en zandwinning op zandbanken. In dit onderzoek richten we ons op de fysische effecten van grootschalige (> 10·106 m3) zandwinning op de Zeeland banken, een groep banken gelegen voor de kust van Zeeland en Zuid-Holland. Het doel van dit onderzoek is het maken van een inventarisatie van instrumenten, die gebruikt kunnen worden om de fysische lange termijn effecten van grootschalige zandwinning op de Zeeland banken te voorspellen, om het Nederlandse besluitvormingsproces te ondersteunen. Om het geformuleerde doel te bereiken, wordt de informatiebehoefte van beleidsmakers en andere belanghebbende bepaald. Een belangrijk hulpmiddel hierbij is het definiëren van een set van Coastal State Indicators (CSI’s); een kw...
ABSTRACT The Dutch government wants to expand Mainport Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the... more ABSTRACT The Dutch government wants to expand Mainport Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the world, by land reclamation in the North Sea. This may affect the Wadden Sea, a unique wetlands area protected by the European Bird and Habitat Directives. To assess the impact of the port extension on the Wadden Sea, an Appropriate Assessment procedure was carried out. We investigated how stakeholders' perceptions were dealt with and how knowledge was used in this decision-making process. Our findings form an argument for practitioners in coastal management to choose a process-oriented approach to deal with complex issues.
Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by co... more Water management problems are embedded in a natural and social system that is characterized by complexity. Knowledge uncertainty and the existence of divergent actors' perceptions contribute to this complexity. Consequently, dealing with water management issues is not just a problem of knowledge uncertainty; it is a problem of ambiguity too. In this paper, we investigate how a decision-making process, for a complex water management issue, influences the creation of a knowledge base, the development of actors' perceptions and the formulation of a problem-solution combination. There are many different approaches to decision-making processes. We distinguish two 'extremes': the analytical decision-making approach and the participatory decision-making approach. In the analytical approach, decision-making is based on rationality and objectivity. This process is non-interactive, i.e. it assumes one steering actor. Participatory decisionmaking is an interactive process. During this process several actors contribute to problem structuring. In literature, many examples of empirical case studies on decision-making processes for water management can be found. Nonetheless, as every decision-making process is unique, it is difficult to compare results from different case studies. Therefore, the aim of the study presented in this paper is to make such a comparison using two decision-making processes, which focus on the same problem situation. This comparison sheds a light on the effectiveness of participatory processes, while most literature simply assumes such effectiveness.
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