Climate change as a wicked problem : an evaluation of the institutional context for rural water management in Ghana
Date
2012
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SAGE Open
Abstract
Understanding complexity suggests that some problems are more complex than others and defy conventional solutions. These wicked problems will not be solved by the same tools and processes that are complicit in creating them. Neither will they be resolved by approaches short on explicating the complex interconnections of the multiple causes, consequences, and cross-scale actors of the problem. Climate change is one such wicked problem confronting water management in Ghana with a dilemma. The physical consequences of climate change on Ghana’s water resources are progressively worsening. At the same time, existing institutional arrangements demonstrate weak capacities to tackle climate change–related complexities in water management. Therefore, it warrants a dynamic approach imbued with complex and adaptive systems thinking, which also capitalizes on instrumental gains from prior existing institutions. Adaptive Co-Management offers such an opportunity for Ghana to adapt its water management system to climate change.
Description
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Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
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Keywords
CLIMATE CHANGE, WICKED PROBLEMS, INSTITUTIONS, RURAL WATER MANAGEMENT, ADAPTIVE CO-MANAGEMENT, GHANA, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, COMPLEXITY THEORY, GOVERNANCE
Citation
FitzGibbon, J., & Mensah, K. O. (2012).Climate Change as a Wicked Problem: An Evaluation of the Institutional Context for Rural Water Management in Ghana. SAGE Open, 1-14. doi:10.1177/2158244012448487