Towards a relational concept of uncertainty

As the Newater project is approaching its completion, results and products are appearing at increasing speed. One of these is a paper on uncertainty authored by Marcela Brugnach and Claudia Pahl-Wostl (University of Osnabruck), Tharsi Taillieu (University of Leuven) and myself. This paper on 'knowing too little', 'knowing too differently' and 'accepting not to know' was recently published in Ecology and Society.

Abstract

Uncertainty of late has become an increasingly important and controversial topic in water resource management, and natural resources management in general. Diverse managing goals, changing environmental conditions, conflicting interests, and lack of predictability are some of the characteristics that decision makers have to face. This has resulted in the application and development of strategies such as adaptive management, which proposes flexibility and capability to adapt to unknown conditions as a way of dealing with uncertainties. However, this shift in ideas about managing has not always been accompanied by a general shift in the way uncertainties are understood and handled. To improve this situation, we believe it is necessary to recontextualize uncertainty in a broader way—relative to its role, meaning, and relationship with participants in decision making—because it is from this understanding that problems and solutions emerge. Under this view, solutions do not exclusively consist of eliminating or reducing uncertainty, but of reframing the problems as such so that they convey a different meaning. To this end, we propose a relational approach to uncertainty analysis. Here, we elaborate on this new conceptualization of uncertainty, and indicate some implications of this view for strategies for dealing with uncertainty in water management. We present an example as an illustration of these concepts.

Reference

Brugnach, M., A. Dewulf, C. Pahl-Wostl, and T. Taillieu. 2008. Toward a relational concept of uncertainty: about knowing too little, knowing too differently, and accepting not to know. Ecology and Society 13(2): 30. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss2/art30/ (open access!)

Disentangling approaches to framing

Good new from Human Relations! The paper where Barbara Gray, Roy Lewicki, Linda Putnam, Noelle Aarts, René Bouwen, Cees van Woerkum and myself have tried to disentangle the multiple strands of framing research has been accepted for publication. The accepted version of the manuscript can be downloaded at the bottom of this blog.

Disentangling approaches to framing in conflict and negotiation research: a meta-paradigmatic perspective

Abstract
Divergent theoretical approaches to the construct of framing have resulted in conceptual confusion in conflict research. We disentangle these approaches by analyzing their assumptions about (1) the nature of frames—i.e., cognitive representations or interactional co-constructions, and (2) what is getting framed—i.e., issues, identities and relationships, or interaction process. Using a meta-paradigmatic perspective, we delineate the ontological, theoretical and methodological assumptions among six approaches to framing to reduce conceptual confusion and identify research opportunities within and across these approaches.

Dewulf, A., Gray., B., Lewicki, R., Putnam, L., Aarts, N., Bouwen, R., & van Woerkum, C. (accepted). Disentangling approaches to framing in conflict and negotiation research: a meta-paradigmatic perspective. To appear in Human Relations.

Kofi Anan at Wageningen University

During the opening ceremony of the academic year at Wageningen University, on September 1st 15h30, former UN Secretary -General Kofi Anan will talk about the global issues concerning food security and food prices. The general theme of the event is 'Feeding the World'.

Access to this event is restricted, but the opening ceremony can be watched live (and probably also afterwards) on the internet through WUR TV: http://wurtv.wur.nl/

The live broadcast starts at 15:30 on http://wurtv.wur.nl/presentations/roadkit4/

Final NeWater conference in Sevilla

Registration is open for the Final NeWater Conference 2008

"Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management under Uncertainty "

November 17th - 19th 2008, Seville

The conference is intended for water policy makers/advisors and water managers working at the EU, national and basin levels, as well as researchers. The NeWater project has further developed the concept of Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management (AIWM). The concept is based on the notion that the best way to manage water resources is to increase our capacity to learn from experience and adapt to change and uncertainty.

More information about the conference on http://www.newater.info/everyone/3319

The announcement can also be downloaded as pdf

The art of survey research ...

... with some nice examples of the art of framing

(from the British series "Yes, Minister")