IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v117y2022ics0264837722001302.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of decision-making on conflict: Rethinking the roles of technocrats and residents during Tidal River Management in coastal Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Nath, Sanchayan
  • Shams, Jahin
  • van Laerhoven, Frank
  • Driessen, Peter

Abstract

Tidal river management (TRM) is a building-with-nature practise which was locally developed to tackle the problems of polderization in the south-western delta of Bangladesh. This practise was subsequently adapted by public agencies. However, all TRM sites are associated with violent conflict. While law-enforcement agencies have often struggled to bring such conflict under control, there is variation in the extent to which conflict associated with TRM has been resolved at different study-sites. However, different decision-making approaches have characterized different implementations of TRM. Different implementations of TRM are also characterized by differences in the role of civil society organizations (CSOs). Therefore, this article hypothesizes that variation in conflict resolution is associated with variation in decision-making approaches and role of CSOs. Accordingly, the research question that this article seeks to answer is: How can conflict be resolved for the effective planning and implementation of TRM? This question is answered by analysing 5 case-studies on TRM using a typology of three different decision-making approaches: technocratic, participatory and sociocratic. Using data collected via 2 focus-group discussions, 66 semi-structured interviews and secondary research, this article analyses issues associated with power differentials, dysfunctional consensus, differences between local & scientific knowledge and the role of CSOs in resolving conflict. This research reveals that conflict during TRM implementation can be successfully resolved by the development of conflict resolution mechanisms which are locally-respected and are also considered trust-worthy by the elite. The elite will become more receptive to engaging with the public if TRM implementation is characterized by sociocratic decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Nath, Sanchayan & Shams, Jahin & van Laerhoven, Frank & Driessen, Peter, 2022. "The impact of decision-making on conflict: Rethinking the roles of technocrats and residents during Tidal River Management in coastal Bangladesh," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:117:y:2022:i:c:s0264837722001302
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106103
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837722001302
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106103?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Camelia Dewan & Aditi Mukherji & Marie-Charlotte Buisson, 2015. "Evolution of water management in coastal Bangladesh: from temporary earthen embankments to depoliticized community-managed polders," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 401-416, May.
    2. Gain, Animesh K. & Benson, David & Rahman, Rezaur & Datta, Dilip Kumar & Rouillard, Josselin J., 2017. "Tidal river management in the south west Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh: Moving towards a transdisciplinary approach?," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 111-120.
    3. Al Masud, Md. Mahedi & Gain, Animesh K. & Azad, Abul Kalam, 2020. "Tidal river management for sustainable agriculture in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta: Implication for land use policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Sanchayan Nath & Frank van Laerhoven & Peter P. J. Driessen, 2019. "Have Bangladesh’s Polders Decreased Livelihood Vulnerability? A Comparative Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-20, December.
    5. Furlong, Casey & De Silva, Saman & Guthrie, Lachlan & Considine, Robert, 2016. "Developing a water infrastructure planning framework for the complex modern planning environment," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 1-10.
    6. L. W. Auerbach & S. L. Goodbred Jr & D. R. Mondal & C. A. Wilson & K. R. Ahmed & K. Roy & M. S. Steckler & C. Small & J. M. Gilligan & B. A. Ackerly, 2015. "Flood risk of natural and embanked landscapes on the Ganges–Brahmaputra tidal delta plain," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(2), pages 153-157, February.
    7. Joseph Hanlon, 2020. "Bangladesh farmers push for temporary flooding to correct Dutch polder failure," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 29-43, January.
    8. Patrick Heller, 2001. "Moving the State: The Politics of Democratic Decentralization in Kerala, South Africa, and Porto Alegre," Politics & Society, , vol. 29(1), pages 131-163, March.
    9. Narayan, D., 1993. "Participatory Evaluation; Tools for Managing Change in Water and Sanitation," Papers 207, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    10. Muthoora, Tara & Fischer, Thomas B., 2019. "Power and perception – From paradigms of specialist disciplines and opinions of expert groups to an acceptance for the planning of onshore windfarms in England – Making a case for Social Impact Assess," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nureza Hafiz & Subir Biswas & M. Shahjahan Mondal & Md. Atikul Islam & M. Shah Alam Khan, 2023. "Variations in Water and Deposited Sediment Qualities in the Tidal River Basins of Bangladesh and Their Implications for TRM Success," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-21, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Al Masud, Md. Mahedi & Gain, Animesh K. & Azad, Abul Kalam, 2020. "Tidal river management for sustainable agriculture in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta: Implication for land use policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    2. Abu Elias Sarker & Faraha Nawaz, 2019. "Clientelism, Partyarchy and Democratic Backsliding: A Case Study of Local Government Elections in Bangladesh," South Asian Survey, , vol. 26(1), pages 70-91, March.
    3. Caroline Patsias & Anne Latendresse & Laurence Bherer, 2013. "Participatory Democracy, Decentralization and Local Governance: the Montreal Participatory Budget in the light of ‘Empowered Participatory Governance’," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(6), pages 2214-2230, November.
    4. S. E. Dickson & C. J. Schuster-Wallace & J. J. Newton, 2016. "Water Security Assessment Indicators: The Rural Context," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(5), pages 1567-1604, March.
    5. Mayka, Lindsay & Abbott, Jared, 2023. "Varieties of participatory institutions and interest intermediation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    6. Bradlow, Benjamin H., 2019. "Weapons Of The Strong: Elite Resistance And The Neo-Apartheid City," SocArXiv g5y3b, Center for Open Science.
    7. Amornchai Challcharoenwattana & Chanathip Pharino, 2015. "Co-Benefits of Household Waste Recycling for Local Community’s Sustainable Waste Management in Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-21, June.
    8. Jafar, K, 2014. "A Note on Peoples’ Planning Initiative -Possible lessons from the Kerala Experience," MPRA Paper 65610, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Grillos, Tara, 2017. "Participatory Budgeting and the Poor: Tracing Bias in a Multi-Staged Process in Solo, Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 343-358.
    10. Meenal Shrivastava, 2008. "South Africa in the Contemporary International Economy," South Asian Survey, , vol. 15(1), pages 121-142, January.
    11. Ana Paula Pimentel Walker, 2015. "The Conflation of Participatory Budgeting and Public–Private Partnerships in Porto Alegre, Brazil: The Construction of a Working-Class Mall for Street Hawkers," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(1), pages 165-184, January.
    12. Aseema Sinha, 2015. "Scaling Up: Beyond the Subnational Comparative Method for India," Studies in Indian Politics, , vol. 3(1), pages 128-133, June.
    13. Louise Tillin, 2013. "National and Subnational Comparative Politics: Why, What and How," Studies in Indian Politics, , vol. 1(2), pages 235-240, December.
    14. Esther Hernández‐Medina, 2010. "Social Inclusion through Participation: the Case of the Participatory Budget in São Paulo," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 512-532, September.
    15. Wenzhu Zhou & Yiwen Zhang & Yajun Tang, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Evolution and Mechanisms of Polder Land Use in the “Water-Polder-Village” System: A Case Study of Gaochun District in Nanjing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, September.
    16. Surachman, Eko Nur & Perwitasari, Sevi Wening & Suhendra, Maman, 2022. "Stakeholder management mapping to improve public-private partnership success in emerging country water projects: Indonesia’s experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    17. Sanchayan Nath & Frank van Laerhoven & Peter P. J. Driessen, 2019. "Have Bangladesh’s Polders Decreased Livelihood Vulnerability? A Comparative Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-20, December.
    18. Miguel Niño-Zarazúa & Armando Barrientos & David Hulme & Sam Hickey, 2010. "Social protection in sub-Saharan Africa: Will the green shoots blossom?," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 11610, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    19. Palash Kamruzzaman, 2020. "Exploring the Nexus Between Participation and Empowerment," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 5(1), pages 32-53, January.
    20. Paniagua, Victoria, 2022. "When clients vote for brokers: How elections improve public goods provision in urban slums," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:117:y:2022:i:c:s0264837722001302. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.