Overview

As the world faces another water crisis, it is easy to understand why this precious and highly-disputed resource could determine the fate of entire nations. In reality, however, water conflicts rarely result in violence and more often lead to collaborative governance, however precarious. In this comprehensive and accessible text, David Feldman introduces readers to the key issues, debates, and challenges in water politics today. Its ten chapters explore the processes that determine how this unique resource captures our attention, the sources of power that determine how we allocate, use, and protect it, and the purposes that direct decisions over its cost, availability, and access. Drawing on contemporary water controversies from every continent – from Flint, Michigan to Mumbai, Sao Paulo, and Beijing –the book argues that cooperation and more equitable water management are imperative if the global community is to adequately address water challenges and their associated risks, particularly in the developing world. While alternatives for enhancing water supply, including waste-water re-use, desalination, and conservation abound, without inclusive means of addressing citizens' concerns, their adoption faces severe hurdles that can impede cooperation and generate additional conflicts.

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9781509504626

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Reviews

Most of what is challenging about ensuring clean water for cities, agriculture, industry, and ecosystems comes down to politics. In this highly readable book David Feldman provides a comprehensive introduction to water politics based on his extensive experience consulting on water issues across the world. It will be a valuable resource for students, scholars, and practitioners concerned with water security and management issues today. Denise Fort, University of New Mexico A scholarly tour de force by one the world's leading authorities on water politics that sets the benchmark for studies on this subject. Feldman's broad-ranging analysis, draws on a wealth of new empirical material to critically examine water politics in multiple contexts across differing scales, from the local to the global. For scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners focused on governing such disputes, this book is a must-read. David Benson, University of Exeter

Author Information

David L. Feldman is Professor of Planning, Policy, and Design at the University of California, Irvine

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