Abstract
As global freshwater supplies shrink, recycled drinking water (RDW) has become an increasingly important source of water supply. However, RDW remains an underinvested resource despite being a safe and reliable source of water. The dominant hypothesis is that RDW has been rejected on emotional grounds of disgust, a visceral psychological reaction known as the “yuck” factor. This paper investigates the role of emotions in technical decision-making and applies it to RDW implementation. It tests two specific hypotheses. First, that negative emotions affect the policy process through a negative “goal definition” of the problem, making it unattractive to stakeholders. Second, the emotional quality of policies can be manipulated by policy entrepreneurs. These hypotheses are tested on two cases of RDW—one failed and the other successful. It finds that narratives in the former are relatively low in emotional intensity, with themes such as sustainability and governance, whereas the second case displays narratives charged with anger, social injustice, and disgust. This emphasizes the role of narratives, especially when visceral reactions such as disgust and anger interact with larger social and political discourses. Finally, we offer policy implications on how understanding the role of emotions can help in the implementation of RDW.
Highlights
The need for sustainable water sources has never been more urgent
This paper aimed to show how emotions can be a part of the social ecology of institutional change
Its main contributions are first, to reveal the empirical dynamics of a negative policy bubble from the case of recycled drinking water (RDW) and how it influences an underinvestment in the policy
Summary
The need for sustainable water sources has never been more urgent. By 2030, the world will face a 40% water deficit under the business as usual scenario [1]. Kennedy and Tsuchishashi [5] argue that a sustainable water supply is one which provides adequate water in sufficient quality and quantity to meet societal needs, and importantly, avoids shifting environmental burdens to other geographic areas or future generations Within these parameters, recycled drinking water (RDW) can be regarded as a sustainable water source. Little Water Recycling Facility) produces five grades of water which care for the diverse needs of local industries Given these economic and environmental advantages, water has been increasingly reused in irrigation, recharge of aquifers, seawater barriers and for industry; the increase in its use has been dramatic, at times doubling or quadrupling [13]. What are the differences in emotions—both in content and intensity—between the many cases of failure and the very rare instances of success? Is there a role for learning—that is, not merely the cognitive dimension of scientific and technical understanding, but a mastery of emotional and environmental awareness [25] that is required in today’s ecologically complex reality?
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