Micro-political and related barriers to stakeholder engagement in flood risk management

Article


Tseng, C. and Penning-Rowsell, E. 2012. Micro-political and related barriers to stakeholder engagement in flood risk management. The Geographical Journal. 178 (3), pp. 253-269. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4959.2012.00464.x
TypeArticle
TitleMicro-political and related barriers to stakeholder engagement in flood risk management
AuthorsTseng, C. and Penning-Rowsell, E.
Abstract

Modern conceptualisations of flood risk management (FRM) embody the active engagement of citizens in the appraisal of risk and the development of risk reducing options. But such engagement is known not to be easy. The relevant literature suggests that the potential barriers to stakeholder engagement in FRM are conventionally theorised in three categories: stakeholder-based barriers; time-related barriers; and barriers caused by power inequalities. This paper describes research exploring these issues, by critiquing existing ideas about the barriers to stakeholder engagement in FRM and elsewhere, and by using a case study from Taiwan. Using in-depth interviews of stakeholders we found that failure to acknowledge and take account of the micro-politics in the engagement process brought about new impediments to participation: power sharing unexpectedly created new barriers. We conclude that these results may have relevance elsewhere but that conflicts will remain as long as there are choices to be made. Stakeholder engagement is about resolving these conflicts, but the promoters of flood risk reducing interventions need to be much more analytical in their efforts to understand the ‘micro-political positions’ of all the stakeholders they encounter, rather than see such differences as themselves inherently problematic.

KeywordsFloods; risk management; stakeholders; engagement; participation; ‘micro-politics’; interviews; Taiwan
Research GroupFlood Hazard Research Centre
PublisherWiley
The Royal Geographical Society
Institute of British Geographers
JournalThe Geographical Journal
ISSN0016-7398
Electronic1475-4959
Publication dates
PrintSep 2012
Publication process dates
Deposited27 Jul 2012
Output statusPublished
Additional information

Article first published online: 9 MAR 2012

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4959.2012.00464.x
LanguageEnglish
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