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Assessing the Level of Inter-Sectoral Policy Integration for Governance in the Water–Energy Nexus: A Comparative Study of Los Angeles and Beijing

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  • Gregory N. Sixt

    (Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
    Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) (at the time of research), 11 Curtis Avenue, Somerville, MA 02144-1224, USA)

  • Claudia Strambo

    (Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), P.O. Box 24218, SE-104 51 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Jingjing Zhang

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Nicholas Chow

    (Center for Innovation, University of California Los Angeles Luskin Center for Innovation, 3323 Public Affairs Building, Box 951656, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA)

  • Jie Liu

    (Institute of Water Sciences, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

  • Guoyi Han

    (Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), P.O. Box 24218, SE-104 51 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

As concerns around water scarcity and energy security increase, so too has interest in the connections between these resources, through a concept called the water–energy nexus. Efforts to improve the integration of water and energy management and to understand their cross-sector relevance are growing. In particular, this paper develops a better empirical understanding on the extent to which governance settings hinder and/or enable policy coherence between the water and energy sectors through a comparative analysis of two case studies, namely, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, and the city of Beijing, China. This paper examines the extent to which the institutional context enables policy coordination within (vertically) and between (horizontally) the water and energy sectors in Beijing and Los Angeles. To do so, we propose a framework for analyzing policy integration for the water energy nexus based on environmental policy integration (EPI). The results highlight the multiple and flexible approaches of EPI in nexus governance, not least with regards to horizontal and vertical policy integration, but also in terms of explicit (i.e., intended) and implicit (i.e., unintended) coordination. The level of nexus-focused policy integration is highly dependent on the motivation at the local context and the criteria to evaluate policy success in each sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory N. Sixt & Claudia Strambo & Jingjing Zhang & Nicholas Chow & Jie Liu & Guoyi Han, 2020. "Assessing the Level of Inter-Sectoral Policy Integration for Governance in the Water–Energy Nexus: A Comparative Study of Los Angeles and Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7220-:d:408448
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