Systemic Governance Practices

The document describes a research framework for Work Package 3 of the CADWAGO project, focusing on 'systemic governance' of water catchments. It proposes viewing water catchments as 'social-biophysical systems' where human social systems and biophysical systems are 'structurally coupled' and co-evolve. The research aims to move away from linear models of knowledge transfer toward models of learning and adaptation, specifically investigating four key areas: history, facilitation, stake-holding, and reflexivity. The project utilizes systems theory and the metaphor of a 'helmsperson' to understand how governance can be adaptive in response to uncertainty and feedback.

• The document proposes a framing of water catchments as 'social-biophysical systems' characterized by a 'structural coupling' where human social systems and biophysical systems mutually influence each other in a co-evolutionary dynamic.
• Work Package 3 seeks to shift water governance away from historical, linear models of technology or knowledge transfer, favoring instead models based on learning and adaptation to enhance 'epistemic resilience'.
• The research adopts a systems-theory perspective, treating systems as social constructs and using the metaphor of a 'helmsperson' to describe governance as the act of steering a course based on negotiated purpose and feedback in response to uncertainty.
• The specific research objective of WP3 is to analyze four dimensions of water governance praxis: the role of history, the nature of facilitation, the extent of stake-holding, and the organization of governance practice (reflexivity).

APA

Ison, R., Blackmore, C., & Collins, K. (n.d.). Systemic Governance Practices. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/130808-cadwago-wp3.pdf

Chicago

Ison, Ray, Chris Blackmore, and Kevin Collins. Systemic Governance Practices. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/130808-cadwago-wp3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ison |first1=Ray |last2=Blackmore |first2=Chris |last3=Collins |first3=Kevin |title=Systemic Governance Practices |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/130808-cadwago-wp3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{isonndsystemic, author = {Ison, Ray and Blackmore, Chris and Collins, Kevin}, title = {{Systemic Governance Practices}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/130808-cadwago-wp3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }