IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/natres/v49y2025i3p2736-2752.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Equity in water resource management: A theoretical dynamism

Author

Listed:
  • C. J. Higgs
  • T. R. Hill
  • R. Meissner

Abstract

As elusive as the concept of equity may be, it has nevertheless been placed at the heart of global water policy. Yet inequities in access to water and participation in water resources management persist all over the world. The global water crisis is one of inequitable access rather than availability. This critical review explores equity and equality in water resources management through multiple lenses, considering its numerous philosophical underpinnings, and offers a definition of ‘water equity’. We suggest that human rights, procedural and distributive equity (social justice), and cultural, socioeconomic, and political elements (context) are the pillars of water equity. The inter‐relatedness between them and causal effects of each of the pillars are exposed, as are cross cutting features. This contribution to the theoretical interpretation of ‘water equity’ suggests that it is a complex dynamism, a complexity of interrelated features that are constantly in flux. Acknowledging the inherent characteristics of water equity will greatly facilitate its actualisation.

Suggested Citation

  • C. J. Higgs & T. R. Hill & R. Meissner, 2025. "Equity in water resource management: A theoretical dynamism," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(3), pages 2736-2752, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:49:y:2025:i:3:p:2736-2752
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12501
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12501
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1477-8947.12501?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. Anderson, E. P. & Jackson, S. & Tharme, R. E. & Douglas, M. & Flotemersch, J. E. & Zwarteveen, M. & Lokgariwar, C. & Montoya, M. & Wali, A. & Tipa, G. T. & Jardine, T. D. & Olden, J. D. & Cheng, L. & , 2019. "Understanding rivers and their social relations: a critical step to advance environmental water management," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 6(6):1-21..
    2. Pahl-Wostl, Claudia & Tabara, David & Bouwen, Rene & Craps, Marc & Dewulf, Art & Mostert, Erik & Ridder, Dagmar & Taillieu, Tharsi, 2008. "The importance of social learning and culture for sustainable water management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 484-495, January.
    3. Margreet Z. Zwarteveen & Rutgerd Boelens, 2014. "Defining, researching and struggling for water justice: some conceptual building blocks for research and action," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 143-158, March.
    4. Flora Lu & Constanza Ocampo-Raeder & Ben Crow, 2014. "Equitable water governance: future directions in the understanding and analysis of water inequities in the global South," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 129-142, March.
    5. Andrea Gerlak & Robert G. Varady & Olivier Petit & Arin C. Haverland, 2011. "Hydrosolidarity and beyond: can ethics and equity find a place in today's water resource management?," Post-Print halshs-01610674, HAL.
    6. Tom Perreault, 2014. "What kind of governance for what kind of equity? Towards a theorization of justice in water governance," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 233-245, March.
    7. Krishna C. Prasad & Barbara Van Koppen & Kenneth Strzepek, 2006. "Equity and productivity assessments in the Olifants River basin, South Africa," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(1), pages 63-75, February.
    8. Rutgerd Boelens & Jaime Hoogesteger & Erik Swyngedouw & Jeroen Vos & Philippus Wester, 2016. "Hydrosocial territories: a political ecology perspective," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 1-14, January.
    9. Matthew Goff & Ben Crow, 2014. "What is water equity? The unfortunate consequences of a global focus on 'drinking water'," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 159-171, March.
    10. Raphaëlle Ducrot & Magalie Bourblanc, 2017. "Promoting equity in water access: the limits of fairness of a rural water programme in semi‐arid Mozambique," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(3), pages 131-144, August.
    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. Lucero Radonic & Adriana Zuniga-Teran, 2023. "When Governing Urban Waters Differently: Five Tenets for Socio-Environmental Justice in Urban Climate Adaptation Interventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Filippo Menga & Michael K. Goodman, 2022. "The High Priests of Global Development: Capitalism, Religion and the Political Economy of Sacrifice in a Celebrity‐led Water Charity," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 53(4), pages 705-735, July.
    3. Nygren, Anja, 2021. "Water and power, water’s power: State-making and socionature shaping volatile rivers and riverine people in Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    4. Raphaëlle Ducrot & Magalie Bourblanc, 2017. "Promoting equity in water access: the limits of fairness of a rural water programme in semi‐arid Mozambique," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(3), pages 131-144, August.
    5. Buchs, Arnaud & Calvo-Mendieta, Iratxe & Petit, Olivier & Roman, Philippe, 2021. "Challenging the ecological economics of water: Social and political perspectives," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    6. Thomas Thaler & Thomas Hartmann, 2016. "Justice and flood risk management: reflecting on different approaches to distribute and allocate flood risk management in Europe," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 83(1), pages 129-147, August.
    7. Karina Vink, 2014. "Transboundary water law and vulnerable people: legal interpretations of the 'equitable use' principle," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(5), pages 743-754, September.
    8. Tung-Shan Liao & Chia-Hang Ruei, 2025. "Semantic Governance Under Climate Stress: A Situational Grounded Model of Local Agricultural Irrigation Coordination in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-30, August.
    9. Gimelli, Francesco M. & Bos, Joannette J. & Rogers, Briony C., 2018. "Fostering equity and wellbeing through water: A reinterpretation of the goal of securing access," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-9.
    10. Anastasia N. Danoucaras & Alidu Babatu Adam & Kathryn Sturman & Nina K. Collins & Alan Woodley, 2016. "A pilot study of the Social Water Assessment Protocol in a mining region of Ghana," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 392-408, May.
    11. Elmira Valipour & Hamed Ketabchi & Reza Safari shali & Saeed Morid, 2024. "Water Resources Allocation: Interactions Between Equity/Justice and Allocation Strategies," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 38(2), pages 505-535, January.
    12. Susana Torres López & Maria de los Angeles Barrionuevo & Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos, 2023. "A new operational approach for understanding water-related interactions to achieve water sustainability in growing cities," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 122-137, January.
    13. Daniele T. P. Souza & Eugenia A. Kuhn & Arjen E. J. Wals & Pedro R. Jacobi, 2020. "Learning in, with, and through the Territory: Territory-Based Learning as a Catalyst for Urban Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, April.
    14. Michelle A. Mycoo, 2018. "Achieving SDG 6: water resources sustainability in Caribbean Small Island Developing States through improved water governance," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(1), pages 54-68, February.
    15. Hsiao-Hsien Lin & I.-Yun Chen & Chih-Hung Tseng & Yueh-Shiu Lee & Jao-Chuan Lin, 2022. "A Study of the Impact of River Improvement and Greening on Public Reassurance and the Urban Well-Being Index during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-28, March.
    16. Alison Shaw & Patti Kristjanson, 2014. "A Catalyst toward Sustainability? Exploring Social Learning and Social Differentiation Approaches with the Agricultural Poor," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-33, May.
    17. Garmendia, Eneko & Stagl, Sigrid, 2010. "Public participation for sustainability and social learning: Concepts and lessons from three case studies in Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 1712-1722, June.
    18. Luzma Fabiola Nava, 2025. "Bridging Governance Gaps: A Political Ecology Analysis of Water Challenges in Guanajuato, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-17, April.
    19. Boakye-Ansah, Akosua Sarpong & Schwartz, Klaas & Zwarteveen, Margreet, 2020. "Aligning stakeholder interests: How ‘appropriate’ technologies have become the accepted water infrastructure solutions for low-income areas," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    20. Angelo Jonas Imperiale & Frank Vanclay, 2021. "Conceptualizing community resilience and the social dimensions of risk to overcome barriers to disaster risk reduction and sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 891-905, September.

    More about this item

    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:wly:natres:v:49:y:2025:i:3:p:2736-2752. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947 .

    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.