The contribution of water-energy-food nexus governance to sustainability: A case study of Singapore

Abstract

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus has been promoted as an approach to integrated governance that can increase system sustainability. However, there have been limited empirical studies that demonstrate how WEF nexus governance leads towards sustainability. Therefore, the study investigates how collaborative governance of the WEF nexus connects to sustainability in Singapore, considered one of the most sustainable cities in the world. The objective is to understand the structure of WEF nexus governance in Singapore and explore how this structure contributes towards sustainability. This study uses a case study approach with qualitative text analysis on multiple data types to address this research objective. The results show two key findings. First, the findings show that WEF nexus governance in Singapore has a collaborative governance approach at the national level but is less integrated at lower levels of governance. Second, the results show that while governance integration, including WEF nexus connections, contributes to sustainability, there are also factors beyond WEF nexus governance that contribute towards sustainability in Singapore. The study concludes that WEF nexus governance provides an opportunity for improved sustainability within the system, but WEF nexus governance alone may not be sufficient for sustainability to be realized.