Social Learning Beyond Multistakeholder Platforms: A Case Study on the Elbe River Basin

Abstract

Since competing interests are an important challenge within sustainable river basin management, social learning is often featured in multistakeholder processes established to learn about and align differing interests. At the same time, multistakeholder processes are established as an element of formalized institutional settings, which often seem to impede social learning. In this article, I explore further potential to support social learning in river basin management based on a case study on the international Elbe River basin. The results of the study reveal that multistakeholder platforms are impeded due to their focus on differing interests. Representatives engage more readily in social learning with peers whom they do not perceive as their direct competitors. It is necessary to undertake capacity building for representatives prior to engaging in multistakeholder platforms.