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Opportunities for sustainable water governance in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India : identifying localised solutions to water crises through a capabilities- and institutions-centred framework of strategic agency

Wirths, Jonathan LU (2020) MIDM19 20201
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Many citizens in Ranchi, Jharkhand, suffer from the consequences of contaminated drinking water. The city’s water governance system therefore urgently needs to find ways to bring safe drinking water to its people. Prevalent models in water governance however do not provide effective guidance for the necessary transition process. They lack heuristics that facilitate an in-depth understanding of context-specific institutions and capabilities that interventions can build on. These contextual factors determine a person’s strategic agency and thus individual actions such as the drinking of unsafe water. Based on an adequate theoretical framework and 28 interviews with local stakeholders, this thesis analyses how enabling and constraining... (More)
Many citizens in Ranchi, Jharkhand, suffer from the consequences of contaminated drinking water. The city’s water governance system therefore urgently needs to find ways to bring safe drinking water to its people. Prevalent models in water governance however do not provide effective guidance for the necessary transition process. They lack heuristics that facilitate an in-depth understanding of context-specific institutions and capabilities that interventions can build on. These contextual factors determine a person’s strategic agency and thus individual actions such as the drinking of unsafe water. Based on an adequate theoretical framework and 28 interviews with local stakeholders, this thesis analyses how enabling and constraining institutions and capabilities determine the intake of contaminated water by citizens in Ranchi. It finds that the diverse and variable character of water contamination paired with citizens’ reliance on several types of water sources make unilateral approaches unlikely to succeed. The analysis further identifies opportunities that can form part of a transition while examining knowledge levels among the population and the role of the local government, among others. More research is needed to test the strength and limitations of the developed framework of strategic agency. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wirths, Jonathan LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
water governance, transitions, critical institutionalism, strategic agency, urban development, India
language
English
id
9014311
date added to LUP
2020-06-12 17:00:38
date last changed
2020-06-12 17:00:38
@misc{9014311,
  abstract     = {{Many citizens in Ranchi, Jharkhand, suffer from the consequences of contaminated drinking water. The city’s water governance system therefore urgently needs to find ways to bring safe drinking water to its people. Prevalent models in water governance however do not provide effective guidance for the necessary transition process. They lack heuristics that facilitate an in-depth understanding of context-specific institutions and capabilities that interventions can build on. These contextual factors determine a person’s strategic agency and thus individual actions such as the drinking of unsafe water. Based on an adequate theoretical framework and 28 interviews with local stakeholders, this thesis analyses how enabling and constraining institutions and capabilities determine the intake of contaminated water by citizens in Ranchi. It finds that the diverse and variable character of water contamination paired with citizens’ reliance on several types of water sources make unilateral approaches unlikely to succeed. The analysis further identifies opportunities that can form part of a transition while examining knowledge levels among the population and the role of the local government, among others. More research is needed to test the strength and limitations of the developed framework of strategic agency.}},
  author       = {{Wirths, Jonathan}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Opportunities for sustainable water governance in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India : identifying localised solutions to water crises through a capabilities- and institutions-centred framework of strategic agency}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}