Implementation of Water Policy

Water-related issues are often presented from a purely technical and/or functional perspective. From this viewpoint, the goal would be to “properly” manage the resource (in an equitable, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner, etc.) based on available scientific knowledge. This perspective, however, is unrealistic. Regardless of the geographical scale involved, water management is in fact largely shaped by political considerations.

The goal of this module is to revisit these issues by examining how water is the subject of debates and controversies, how a series of collective problems surrounding it are constructed, and, ultimately, how water policies are actually formulated.

Final exam: 1-hour written exam in person.

Please read the summary textbook *Water Policy* (Barone, S., and Mayaux, P.-L., *Water Policy*, Paris: LGDJ, 2019) in advance.

• Session 1: “Introduction: Water and Policy(ies)” and the start of the lecture on “The State in Water Policy” => pp. 9–16, pp. 25–34, pp. 38–40, pp. 45–51 = 17 pages

• Session 2: Conclusion of the course on “The State in Water Policy” => pp. 51–54, pp. 63–83, pp. 85–86, pp. 96–98, pp. 103–107 = 31 pages

• Session 3: “Local Water Policies and Elected Officials” => pp. 57–62, pp. 86–96, pp. 99–103 = 22 pages

• Session 4: “The Effects of Water Policies” => pp. 109–115, pp. 116–119, pp. 123–125 = 14 pages