IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/ocesoc/v2y2025a10338.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strategies for Transforming Coastal Governance: Addressing Interdependent Dimensions

Author

Listed:
  • Mafaziya Nijamdeen

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Open University, The Netherlands)

  • Ansje Löhr

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Open University, The Netherlands)

  • Kristof Van Assche

    (Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Alberta, Canada)

  • Raoul Beunen

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Open University, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Coastal areas are places where land and sea meet. These places offer many socio‐economic opportunities but also face profound social and environmental challenges that are often exacerbated by limitations in current governance systems. These limitations include a lack of coordination, unclear mandates and roles, fragmented knowledge, power dynamics, and insufficient stakeholder involvement. Transforming coastal governance is therefore needed to enhance the effectiveness and legitimacy of governance systems and their institutions, but current practices and past experiences have shown that changing governance is anything but easy. In this article, we analyse how three critical governance dimensions: (1) forms of integration of land and sea management; (2) forms of knowledge mobilized; and (3) forms of democracy in their interplay, shape possibilities and limits for transforming governance. Drawing on insights from the literature and three case studies from Spain, the UK, and Norway, we highlight how these different governance dimensions are strongly interrelated and should be addressed in coherent ways to make governance more effective and legitimate.

Suggested Citation

  • Mafaziya Nijamdeen & Ansje Löhr & Kristof Van Assche & Raoul Beunen, 2025. "Strategies for Transforming Coastal Governance: Addressing Interdependent Dimensions," Ocean and Society, Cogitatio Press, vol. 2.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:10338
    DOI: 10.17645/oas.10338
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/10338
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/oas.10338?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raghu Garud & Arun Kumaraswamy & Peter Karnøe, 2010. "Path Dependence or Path Creation?," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 760-774, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Josse Delfgaauw & Otto H. Swank, 2016. "Task‐Specific Human Capital and Organizational Inertia," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 608-626, September.
    2. Maximilian Benner, 2021. "System-level agency and its many shades: How to shape the system for path development?," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_10, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    3. Popa, Eugen Octav & Blok, Vincent & Katsoukis, Georgios & Schubert, Cornelius, 2023. "Moral impact of technologies from a pluralist perspective: Artificial photosynthesis as a case in point," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Nuria Moratal, 2023. "Building durable and resilient legitimacy for sustainable ecosystems [Construire une légitimité durable et résiliente pour des écosystèmes durables]," Post-Print hal-04576522, HAL.
    5. Karla Münzel & Wouter Boon & Koen Frenken & Taneli Vaskelainen, 2018. "Carsharing business models in Germany: characteristics, success and future prospects," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 271-291, May.
    6. Thomas Brenner & Sonja Jeddeloh, 2024. "Path dependence in an evolving system: a modeling perspective," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 18(1), pages 1-36, January.
    7. Yunhui Wang & Yihua Chen & Zhiying Li, 2024. "Escaping poverty: changing characteristics of China’s rural poverty reduction policy and future trends," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Yuji Honjo & Yunosuke Iwaki & Masatoshi Kato, 2025. "Outside or inside the firm? The impact of debt financing on the exit routes of start-up firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1877-1900, April.
    9. Busch, Christian & Barkema, Harry, 2022. "Align or perish: social enterprise network orchestration in Sub-Saharan Africa," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115350, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Alessia Berni & Mariavittoria Cicellin & Stefano Consiglio & Luigi Moschera, 2012. "The evolution of the Italian Temporary Work Agency field: A path dependence perspective," Discussion Papers 10_2012, CRISEI, University of Naples "Parthenope", Italy.
    11. Pandza, Krsto & Ellwood, Paul, 2013. "Strategic and ethical foundations for responsible innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 1112-1125.
    12. Jørgensen, Ulrik, 2012. "Mapping and navigating transitions—The multi-level perspective compared with arenas of development," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 996-1010.
    13. Habicht, Hagen & Oliveira, Pedro & Shcherbatiuk, Viktoriia, 2012. "User Innovators: When Patients Set Out to Help Themselves and End Up Helping Many," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 66(3), pages 277-295.
    14. van Aswegen, Mariske & Retief, Francois Pieter, 2020. "The role of innovation and knowledge networks as a policy mechanism towards more resilient peripheral regions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    15. Angela da Rocha & Beatriz Kury & Rodrigo Tomassini & Luciana Velloso, 2017. "Strategic Responses to Environmental Turbulence: A Study of Four Brazilian Exporting Clusters," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 39, pages 155-174.
    16. Kasper Ampe & Erik Paredis & Lotte Asveld & Patricia Osseweijer & Thomas Block, 2021. "Power struggles in policy feedback processes: incremental steps towards a circular economy within Dutch wastewater policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 54(3), pages 579-607, September.
    17. Suyash Jolly & Rob Raven, 2013. "Collective institutional entrepreneurship and contestations in wind energy in India," Working Papers 13-10, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies, revised Nov 2013.
    18. Simon Baumgartinger-Seiringer & David Doloreux & Richard Shearmur & Michaela Trippl, 2021. "When history does not matter? The rise of Quebec’s wine industry," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_05, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    19. Robert Hassink & Arne Isaksen & Michaela Trippl, 2019. "Towards a comprehensive understanding of new regional industrial path development," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(11), pages 1636-1645, November.
    20. Pernilla Hagbert & Josefin Wangel & Loove Broms, 2020. "Exploring the Potential for Just Urban Transformations in Light of Eco-Modernist Imaginaries of Sustainability," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 204-216.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:10338. 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: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    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.