Water System Science and Policy Interfacing

by Philippe Quevauviller (Editor)

Overview

Recent discussions among scientists and policy-makers have highlighted that knowledge generated by many research and demonstration projects is not reaching policymakers in an efficient way. Conversely, the consideration of research results by the policy making community is not straightforward, and difficulties arise in integrating the latest research developments in legislation. The difficulty is enhanced by the fact that the policy-making community is not defining its role as "client" sufficiently well and the dialogue and communication channels are far from ideal to ensure an efficient flow of information. An increasing number of experts consider that improvements could be achieved through the development of a "science-policy interface" so that R&D results are synthesised in a way to efficiently feed policy implementation and that short, medium and long term research needs may be identified. This book examines the issue of integrating science into policy, with an emphasis on water system knowledge and related policies. An important feature of the book is the discussion of science-policy interfacing needs, illustrated by examples from authors from different countries in relation to water system management. This publication is timely in that the science-policy interfacing is now identified as a key challenge worldwide with regard to integrated water resource management, and therefore the book will be of great interest to scientists, water managers and stakeholders. Readers will also benefit from a better understanding of the needs, benefits and drawbacks of an established transfer mechanism of scientific outputs to policies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847558619
Publisher:	RSC
Publication date:	11/20/2009
Edition description:	Edition. ed.
Pages:	462
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Philippe QUEVAUVILLER is a member of the Water & Marine Unit of the EC Environment Directorate-General where he is responsible for the development and implementation of a new Groundwater Directive which will complement the existing water policy framework. He has worked as a researcher in marine geochemistry for over 20 years during which he has published more than 200 papers in the international literature and several books linked to environmental quality measurements. He is also a part-time professor at the K.U. Leuven teaching "water quality and treatment".

Read an Excerpt

Water System Science and Policy Interfacing

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By Philippe Quevauviller

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Copyright © 2010 Royal Society of Chemistry
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-84755-861-9

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CHAPTER 1

Reflections on Fundamental and Policy-oriented Research of Water System Knowledge over the Past 25 Years

ANDRÉ VAN DER BEKEN

F. Laurentplein 45, 9000 Gent, Belgium

1.1.1 Introduction

In philosophy, reflection means thinking in context, by experience and with a view of evaluation and decision. Since thinking is linked to the language and the meaning of its words, a correct understanding of the words is essential, especially in scientific communication. Hence, it is necessary to start with a few definitions, or at least descriptions, of the words and terms used in this reflection on water system science within a perspective of science–policy interfacing.

Scientific research, policy and management are different fields of human endeavor, each with their own objectives, methodologies, dynamics, finality and evaluation. In this chapter we focus on scientific research of the water system. Scientific research – in short "research" – relates to "science," defined as a set of well-established laws or theories and methodologies in a given domain or discipline. The wording "investigation" is more appropriate for examining non-scientific matters. The wording "water system" refers to the interconnected and complex arrangement of all components of the hydrological cycle, including its relation to human activities of all kinds. Both system approach and operations research or system design are methodologies commonly applied to the water system: the former being a mathematical approach to the study of the components and how the system will behave under various conditions and leading to "integrated water resources management;" the latter being the study of objectives and how to accomplish them most efficiently, leading to so-called "decision support systems."

It must be recognized that water research and water policy and management are not activities with an end in themselves: water research serves scientific progress and thus has an indirect impact on society, while water policy and management serve society directly.

1.1.2 Policy, Management and Knowledge

It is important to distinguish between policy and management:

• policy is legislation (i.e. elaborated and adopted by institutions), regulations, strategy and choices, selections and decisions taken by policy-makers (i.e. government) within the limits of the legislation.

• management is the preparation of choices (scenario building) for policy implementation, elaboration of rules, procedures, methods or specifications that will be put into effect by legislation and regulations at policy level, implementation of decisions taken at policy level, making decisions (and their implementation) on the management level, supervision and monitoring, maintenance and renewal of resources, including human resources (i.e. continuing education and training, professional development of personnel); management also includes operation and maintenance (O&M) of all infrastructures and the preparatory studies, control and follow-up of new infrastructures.

This distinction between policy and management, not always well acknowledged or appreciated, is based on the democratic principles of our society. Crucial aspects are:

1. clear differentiation between issues, and related decisions, on a policy level and on a management level;

2. the presence of a management structure (i.e. the executive body) with sufficient financial and human resources;

3. the quality, merit and usefulness of the legislation;

4. last, but not least, wise choices and decisions made by the policy-makers.

• The wording knowledge in the title of this contribution also needs attention together with its corollaries skill, competency and expertise:

• knowledge is an attribute of the individual person, resulting from processes of learning, understanding, reflecting, comparing, selecting the right information and critical and strategic thinking; it is also "scholarship": the command of learning;

• skill is the ability to perform mental and/or physical routine tasks, it is space and time dependent and less universal than knowledge;

• competency is the right balance between knowledge and skills to perform a given job, but it includes other attributes of the individual, such as behavior, emotion, intuition, attitude, judgment, ethical perception, imagination] ...;

• expertise is obtained by a competent person through practice in his/her particular sphere of activity. In a more popular way it has been said: "An expert is somebody who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a narrow field".

It follows that information, a fully neutral and impersonal set of facts or data, and its corollaries such as information management or information transfer are totally insufficient for any kind of water policy or management activity if dissemination of knowledge is not guaranteed. All kinds of information on the water system may be available and are often abundant, but if the knowledge to understand, compare and select the right information, and especially the critical and strategic thinking is not at hand, water problems cannot be solved. Knowledge acts as a "sluice" to mitigate the "food" of information.

Furthermore, there are many water issues and problems for which research can do nothing:

• on the policy level that takes off through inadequate legislation and regulations or unwise decisions;

• on the management level that arises from misunderstanding or unwise use of existing knowledge, lack of skills, competency and expertise, misuse of resources or wrong management, bad operation or neglected maintenance; in all these cases only better education and training and correct application of appropriate, efficient and effective quality assurance methods can help.

These issues and problems can be alleviated by effective communication between science, policy and management, or an interface: the subject of the present book. Therefore, fundamental and policy-oriented research of the water system should be understood as the action to extend our knowledge and/or to apply existing knowledge to new or emerging problems that have not yet got a full scientific understanding or a solution for better policy and management.

1.1.3 Scientific Research

1.1.3.1 Objectives

The general aim of scientific research is moving the borders of our knowledge and thus contributing to the understanding of phenomena of all kind. We try to get insight into relations, their origin and consequences. For the water system this means understanding the interaction between all its components. This general objective can be pursued both from a philosophical point of view of curiosity and from the utility point of view of problem solving. Both points of view have implications for what follows and are also reiterated in a well-known classification of scientific research:

• fundamental research pursues no specific application;

• applied research aims at applications of existing or new knowledge. For water it means: to develop methodologies and technologies for better protection against excess or shortage of water, for efficient use and re-use of water, for protection and improvement of water quality.

Other much used terms for this classification are: *basic research and *targeted research.

Fundamental research is the basis for any applied research: how could one expect to find correct, long-lasting or "sustainable" applications if the phenomena, which are at the origin of the problems to be solved, are not well understood or consequences are uncertain? Sometimes applied research may be initiated too early to obtain reasonable or highly-expected results, because fundamental research of the phenomena lags behind: an issue that creates frustration with both end-users and researchers.

Policy-oriented research belongs to the second category where the expected results will be employed in the field of policy. Given the essential distinction between policy and management, one should not call all types of applied water research by this name. Management-oriented research is for many research topics a more correct name. Both types of research will have their specific result-expectations.

An example: research towards a new methodology for detecting a given contaminant is – in its development phase – not policy-oriented, but rather management-oriented: a better monitoring may be expected. But once the methodology has been tested, validated and verified – a process that may take years – a procedure with related cost–benefit analysis may be then prepared to incorporate the new methodology into regulations. However, it may be that doubt exists about the relevance of the given contaminant in matters of health: now a policy-oriented research on risk assessment might be needed to prepare for a wise decision.

Many similar examples could be found in, for instance, food protection research: if the methodologies for computing/predicting/forecasting foods – typically management-oriented research – are not first tested, validated and verified, policy-oriented research for decision support systems is premature or, in the worst case, dangerous.

Policy-oriented research should also not forget about the management issues: it is not the researcher who will execute the policy-decision but the manager or practitioner. Therefore, scenarios for policy-makers should in the first place be prepared and elaborated by the practitioners and not by the researchers. Of course, scenarios should be prepared with the latest knowledge about the compounds of the water system and their management issues and if the knowledge is not yet available or insufficient at management level, management-oriented research should help. When it comes to finding the best or most efficient or most "plausible" scenario, systems analysis or a system design approach can be used in policy-oriented research. In other words: management-oriented and policy-oriented research should always go hand in hand. Each research project should have its clear specific objectives. It goes without saying that water policy and management should also rely on contributions of disciplines that are counted traditionally as human sciences, also called "soft" sciences: history, sociology and psychology, jurisprudence and economic sciences. Both policy-oriented and management-oriented research may need this "soft" support, which is often forgotten or underestimated.

1.1.3.2 Methodology

Scientific research applies a proven methodology of observation, measurement, analysis, hypothesis and synthesis. Because of this methodology science distinguishes itself from the speculative approach. Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), a pivotal figure in intellectual and scientific history, is quoted: "Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so." Research is also empirical, where the experiment with reproducible measurements forms an essential test for the value of the research. Feynman, winner of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physics and famous teacher, wrote:

The principle of science, the definition almost, is the following: the test of knowledge is experiment.

If this reproducibility is not possible by the nature of the phenomena (like for example rainfall), then the number of measurements must be such that valuable statistical interpretations become possible. Measurements must also be representative for the phenomena observed in different conditions or locations and should not disturb the phenomena. Uncertainties about the measurements should be recognized and not hidden.

Measurements must be analyzed with the help of known basic laws of physics (in the broadest sense) and theories/hypotheses that must be tested against the results of the measurements. The quality, precision and representative character of the measurements play a primordial role. This is mostly already research in itself: it includes the selection and kind of measurements, locations, duration and frequency of the measurements, the choice of measuring equipment and the treatment and handling of the data. Good scientific research also takes into account the data and results of the past if these are available: hence the utmost importance of a permanent inventory of past measurements and data derived from these measurements.

The analysis leads to hypothesis and synthesis: in the past the hypothesis/ synthesis following careful experiments had been necessarily limited either to empirical formulas, graphical or tabular solutions, or to verbal conclusions; now the hypothesis/synthesis will appeal especially to mathematical or other models that, by use of the computer, can generate simulations under different scenarios, or even forecast results in "real-time." However, the hypothetical character of many results obtained in this manner is often concealed.

Validation, verification and interpretation of thus-obtained results are always essential and must lead to a return to observation, monitoring design, analysis and models to introduce improvements in the methodology. A particularly difficult problem today concerns computer models that are not available in the public field and are also not accessible for modifications.

Research methodology also consists of the "management" of resources allocated to the research project, of the milestones and deliverables described in the research contract.

1.1.3.3 Dynamics

The methodology of research requires specific knowledge, skills, competency and expertise of the researcher. Seldom will one researcher combine all the necessary attributes and for this reason team-work is practically always essential and cooperation with teams of other disciplines will often be appropriate. It is not enough to bring together researchers from several disciplines (pluri- or multi-disciplinarity) to study the same subject: there should be inter-disciplinarity and possibly also trans-disciplinarity, which could create, under good circumstances, new research methodologies and even a new discipline. New disciplines are very important for the progress of research and, for solving new problems, are sometimes the only possibility. But the creation of inter-disciplinarity or trans-disciplinarity demands much time; likewise, acquiring the necessary knowledge, skills, competency and expertise of the individual researcher requires time: serious scientific research will be always a long-term activity and never an activity that starts and finishes with a research contract.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Water System Science and Policy Interfacing by Philippe Quevauviller. Copyright © 2010 Royal Society of Chemistry. Excerpted by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

General Introduction Interfacing Science & Policy in the Context of Selected RTD Projects Links to Water National or Regional Research, Policies & Management Communication and Education Needs Way Forward & Conclusions