ÌýTanya Heikkila is a Professor at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, where she directs the Master’s of Public Policy Program and co-directs the Center for Policy and Democracy. She also serves as a member of the Delta Independent Science Board for the state of California. Her research focuses on how conflict, collaboration, and learning in environmental policy processes, particularly in the context of interstate watersheds, large-scale ecosystem restoration programs, and unconventional oil and gas development. Prof. Heikkila has published numerous articles and books on these topics and has participated in several interdisciplinary research and education projects.
Abstract
Breaking Down Barriers to Learning for Adaptive Water GovernanceÌý
Scholars and practitioners alike recognize that our institutions governing the allocation and use of water resources require ongoing adaptation to respond effectively to changing environmental and socio-political contexts. Yet the actors and organizations that govern water resources are often slow to learn and change. We often create water governance institutions for control, predictability, and consistency. We also face many institutional, political, and cognitive constraints, which can impede our ability to adequately understand and respond to emerging and highly uncertain water resource issues. Drawing from empirical and theoretical research, this presentation offers insights on how we can design water governance processes and institutions to learn and adapt more intentionally and effectively. In doing so, it also explores the challenges to learning for adaptive water governance – including individual and group-level barriers -Ìý and what tools and mechanisms help mitigate these barriers.Ìý