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Pathways for Participatory Water Governance in Ashaiman, Ghana : Learning from Institutional Bricolage and Hydrosocial Perspectives Peloso, Megan Michelle; Harris, Leila

Abstract

Coupling a hydrosocial perspective with institutional bricolage, this research considers possibilities for participatory water governance in Ashaiman, a peri-urban settlement of Accra, Ghana. We explore three questions: (1) How do people in Ashaiman evoke ideas or experiences of water in general and water governance in particular? (2) What possibilities currently exist for engaging the community in key water-related decisions? (3) What possibilities exist for enhanced participatory water governance in this context, including potential for and interest in new institutions and engagement processes? Results of qualitative interviews and semistructured observation suggest that a siloed, water-centric approach inadequately captures everyday realities of water as hydrosocial and of existing institutions in Ashaiman. In contrast to “modern water,” we propose that water issues may be more meaningfully addressed as bundled with social welfare. Potential implications and alternative ways of understanding socio-institutional arrangements for participatory water governance are explored.

Item Metadata

Title
Pathways for Participatory Water Governance in Ashaiman, Ghana : Learning from Institutional Bricolage and Hydrosocial Perspectives
Creator
Peloso, Megan Michelle; Harris, Leila
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Program on Water Governance; EDGES (University of British Columbia)
Date Issued
2017-10-16
Description
Coupling a hydrosocial perspective with institutional bricolage, this research considers possibilities for participatory water governance in Ashaiman, a peri-urban settlement of Accra, Ghana. We explore three questions: (1) How do people in Ashaiman evoke ideas or experiences of water in general and water governance in particular? (2) What possibilities currently exist for engaging the community in key water-related decisions? (3) What possibilities exist for enhanced participatory water governance in this context, including potential for and interest in new institutions and engagement processes? Results of qualitative interviews and semistructured observation suggest that a siloed, water-centric approach inadequately captures everyday realities of water as hydrosocial and of existing institutions in Ashaiman. In contrast to “modern water,” we propose that water issues may be more meaningfully addressed as bundled with social welfare. Potential implications and alternative ways of understanding socio-institutional arrangements for participatory water governance are explored.
Subject
Institutional analysis; Participatory governance; Social dimensions of natural resource management; Water
Geographic Location
Accra (Ghana)
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2019-04-16
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0364179
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/64777
Affiliation
Science, Faculty of; Alumni; Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for
Citation
Megan M. Peloso & Leila M. Harris (2017). Pathways for Participatory Water Governance in Ashaiman, Ghana: Learning from Institutional Bricolage and Hydrosocial Perspectives. Society & Natural Resources, 30:12, 1491-1506.
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International