Hydrology and Earth System Sciences www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net 1027-5606 1607-7938 12 4 2008 10.5194/hess-12-1097-2008 http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/12/1097/2008/ http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/12/1097/2008/hess-12-1097-2008.html http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/12/1097/2008/hess-12-1097-2008.pdf 1097 1109 2008-08-12 Identification of stakeholder perspectives on future flood management in the Rhine basin using Q methodology G. T. Raadgever g.t.raadgever@tudelft.nl E. Mostert N. C. van de Giesen Water Resources Management, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands This article identifies different stakeholder perspectives on future flood management in the downstream parts of the Rhine basin in Germany and The Netherlands. The perspectives were identified using Q methodology, which proved to be a good, but time-intensive, method for eliciting and analyzing stakeholder perspectives in a structured and unbiased way. Three shared perspectives were found: A) "Anticipation and institutions", B) "Space for flooding" and C) "Knowledge and engineering". These three perspectives share a central concern for the provision of safety against flooding, but disagree on the expected autonomous developments and the preferred measures. In perspective A, the expected climate change and economic growth call for fast action. To deal with the increasing flood risk, mostly institutional measures are proposed, such as the development of a stronger basin commission. In perspective B, an increasing spatial pressure on the river area is expected, and the proposed measures are focused on mitigating damage, e.g., through controlled flooding and compartmentalization. In perspective C, the role of expert knowledge and technological improvements is emphasized. Preferred strategies include strengthening the dikes and differentiation of safety standards. <br><br> An overview of stakeholder perspectives can be useful in natural resources management for 1) setting the research agenda, 2) identifying differences in values and interests that need to be discussed, 3) creating awareness among a broad range of stakeholders, and 4) developing scenarios. Brown, S. R.: Political subjectivity: Application of q methodology in political science, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1980. Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S.: Handbook of qualitative research, 2nd Ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, 2000. Dewulf, A., Craps, M., and Dercon, G.: How issues get framed and reframed when different communities meet: A multi-level analysis of a collaborative soil conservation initiative in the Ecuadorian Andes, J. Community Appl. Soc., 14, 177–192, 2004. Donner, J. C.: Using q-sorts in participatory processes: An introduction to the methodology, Social analysis: Selected tools and techniques, Social Development Papers No 36, The World Bank, Social Development Department, Washington DC, 2001. Doyle, J. K. and Ford, D. N.: Mental models concepts for system dynamics research, Syst. Dynam. Rev., 14, 3–29, 1998. Dryzek, J. S.: Reconstructive democratic theory, The American Political Science Review, 87, 48–60, 1993. Eden, C.: Cognitive mapping: A review, Eur. J. Oper. Res., 36, 1–13, 1988. Evans, J. S. T.: The knowledge elicitation problem - a psychological perspective, Behav. Inform. Technol., 7, 111–130, 1988. Fischer, F.: Evaluating public policy, Nelson-Hall, Chicago, 1995. Focht, W.: Assessment and management of policy conflict in the Illinois River watershed in Oklahoma: An application of q methodology, Int. J. Public Admin., 25, 1311–1349, 2002. Gabr, H. S.: Perception of urban waterfront aesthetics along the Nile in Cairo, Egypt, Coast. Manage., 32, 155–171, 2004. Hoppe, R. and Peterse, A.: Bouwstenen voor argumentatieve beleidsanalyse, Elsevier Bedrijfsinformatie, 's-Gravenhage, 1998. Internationale Kommission zum Schutz des Rheins: Aktionsplan Hochwasser, Rotterdam, 1998. Kolkman, M. J., Kok, M., and van der Veen, A.: Mental model mapping as a new tool to analyse the use of information in decision-making in integrated water management, Phys. Chem. Earth, 30, 317–332, 2005. Lammersen, R.: Grensoverschrijdende effecten van extreem hoogwater op de Niederrhein, Rijkswaterstaat RIZA, Landesumweltamt NRW, Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde, Düsseldorf, 2004. Landesministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz: Bericht an den Ausschuss für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirstschaft und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen über das Hochwasserschutzkonzept für den Zeitraum bis 2015, Düsseldorf, 2006. McKeown, B. and Thomas, D.: Q methodology, Sage university papers. Quantitative applications in the social sciences 66, Sage, Newbury Park, 1988. Mostert, E.: Public participation and ideology, in: Partizipation, Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung, Nachhaltigkeit; Perspektiven der politischen Ökonomie, edited by: Feindt, P. H., and Newig, J., Metropolis Verlag, Marburg, 163–179, 2005. Pahl-Wostl, C. and Hare, M.: Processes of social learning in integrated resources management, J. Community Appl. Soc., 14, 193–206, 2004. Pelletier, D., Kraak, V., McCullum, C., Uusitalo, U., and Rich, R.: The shaping of collective values through deliberative democracy: An empirical study from New York's North Country, Policy Sci., 32, 103–131, 1999. Provincie Gelderland, Ministerie Verkeer en Waterstaat, and Landesministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz: Gemeinsame Erklärung für die Zusammenarbeit im nachhaltigen Hochwasserschutz für den Zeitraum 2007 bis 2012, 2007. Raadgever, G. T., Becker, G., and Mostert, E.: Perspectives on future flood management: Discovering patterns of thinking, in: Changes in water resources systems: Methodologies to maintain water security and ensure integrated management, edited by: Van de Giesen, N. C., Jun, X., Rosjberg, D., and Fukushima, Y., IAHS Press, Wallingford, 186–191, 2007. Raadgever, G. T., and Becker, G.: Exploring future flood management: A comparison of scenarios from literature and stakeholder perspectives, in: Managing Flood Risk, Reliability and Vulnerability (Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Flood Defence), edited by: Simonovic, S. P., Bourget, P. G., and Blanchard, S. F., ICLR, Toronto, 95, 1–9, 2008. Ridder, D., Mostert, E., Wolters, H. A., Cernesson, F., Echavarren, J. M., Enserink, B., Kranz, N., Maestu, J., Maurel, P., Otter, H., Patel, M., Schlussmeier, B., Tabará, D., and Taillieu, T.: Learning together to manage together – Improving participation in water management, Druckhaus Bergmann, Osnabrück, 2005. Rijkswaterstaat: Flood Defences Act, Policy Creating space for the river, Rijkswaterstaat Road and Hydraulic Engineering division, Delft, 1998. Rugg, G. and McGeorge, P.: The sorting techniques: A tutorial paper on card sorts, picture sorts and item sorts, Expert Syst., 14, 80–93, 1997. Sabatier, P. A.: The advocacy coalition framework: Revisions and relevance for Europe, J. Eur. Public Policy, 5, 98–130, 1998. Silva, W., Dijkman, J. P. M., and Loucks, D. P.: Flood management options for the Netherlands, International Journal of River Basin Management, 2, 101–112, 2004. Steelman, T. A. and Maguire, L. A.: Understanding participant perspectives: Q-methodology in national forest management, J. Policy Anal. Manag., 18, 361–388, 1999. Stephenson, W.: The study of behavior: Q-technique and its methodology, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1953. Thompson, M., Ellis, R., and Wildavsky, A.: Cultural theory, Political cultures, Westview Press, Boulder, 1990. Toulmin, S. E.: The uses of argument, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1958. van Asselt, M. B. A., Middelkoop, H., van 't Klooster, S. A., van Deursen, W. P. A., Haasnoot, M., Kwadijk, J. C. J., Buiteveld, H., Können, G. P., Rotmans, J., van Gemert, N., and Valkering, P.: Integrated water management strategies for the Rhine and Meuse basins in a changing environment, RIVM, Bilthoven, 2001. van Exel, N. J. A. and de Graaf, G.: Q methodology: A sneak preview, 2005. van Tubergen, G. N. and Olins, R. A.: Mail vs personal interview administration for q sorts: A comparative study, Operant Subjectivity, 2, 51–59, 1979. Webler, T. and Tuler, S.: Four perspectives on public participation process in environmental assessment and decision making: Combined results from 10 case studies, Policy Stud. J., 34, 699–722, 2006.