Abstract
This paper indicates the influence of paradigms and theories on the development of South Africa’s National Water Resource Strategy, Second Edition. Five paradigms exist: positivism, postpositivism, interpretivism/constructivism, critical theories and the participatory paradigm. I use the PULSE 3 framework for analysis that I developed to analyse the NWRS2. I found that positivism is the dominant paradigm influencing the NWRS2. I furthermore analyse the strategy through two alternative theories: agential power and the ambiguity theory of leadership. These theories are interpretivist/constructivist type theories. My argument is for the integration of paradigms through the utilisation of analytic eclecticism. In light of positivism’s dominance, I conclude that water research can be more innovative through the integration of paradigms and alternative theories. Keywords: water governance, paradigm, theory, policy, leadership theory, power
Highlights
I argue that paradigms and theories are the foundations of water governance because they constitute the development of governance along dominant discursive thinking
The growth and development goals of the NWRS2 are in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) noting that: ‘Current planning assumes that it will be possible to achieve an average reduction in water demand of 15 percent below business-as-usual levels in urban areas over the period leading to 2030’ (NPC, 2011)
It is not entirely impossible that the NWRS2 is a reaction to current trends in the global water governance discourse
Summary
I argue that paradigms and theories are the foundations of water governance because they constitute the development of governance along dominant discursive thinking. This argument has implications for the practical application of water governance. Resource management challenges are to an extent wicked problems These have multiple dimensions of information and formulation, clients and decision makers with conflicting values and confusing ramifications. Determining rules, patterns and relationships researchers need paradigms and theories to guide action (Guba, 1990). I outline PULSE3’s components: a paradigm assessment tool, analytic eclecticism and theories for practice (Meissner, 2014a, b). The research object can have qualities existing independently from the researcher
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