Water Policy Special Issue on

Water Allocation and Rights – Evolving Policies and Practices under Shifting Socio-Hydrological Regimes

CALL FOR PAPERS

Water Policy invites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to submit high-quality manuscripts for a Special Issue on “Water Allocation and Rights—Evolving Policies and Practices under Shifting Socio-Hydrological Regimes". This issue aims to explore in-depth country-specific, and multi-country comparative analyses, studying policies and practices that shape the institutional arrangements and instruments for water allocation at local, regional and national scales. It aims to explore and assess current as well as promising innovative institutional designs and practices that can address tensions arising between uses and users under stressors and pressures from for instance changing and increasing water demand, land use changes and uncertain hydroclimatic patterns that are affecting most regions worldwide.  

We seek contributions that advance our understanding of the complexities and strategies associated with dilemmas and trade-offs between supply and demand management, water security and allocation flexibility, sustainable and just water allocation and economic productivity, and top-down and bottom-up approaches – in a changing world that requires adaptive policy responses.

Relevant topics include:

In-depth country-specific and multi-country comparative analyses:

• Case studies characterizing policy responses to the tensions exerted by anthropogenic pressures and shifting hydroclimatic regimes on water allocation approaches and regulatory frameworks in different countries, under different conditions, and at different time junctures.
• Comparative studies critically analyzing water allocation institutions and governance mechanisms and their intended and unintended consequences across diverse geographical scales and socio-economic, legal and environmental contexts, as well as their ability to adapt to changing needs and conditions. Special attention will be given to papers discussing performance analysis of institutional arrangements.
• Examining the gap between formal institutions and informal practices playing out through socio-economic dynamics in diverse actor arenas (legal, social, political, etc.) influencing water rights and distribution.
• Transition pathways: Experiences with institutional reforms to strengthen regulatory frames and operational practices with due attention to income generation, the human right to water, the rights of nature, and policy integration across sectors and scales.

Institutional water allocation strategies and instruments:

• Permits, concessions, contracts and regulatory instruments: Water use rights granted through permits, concession and contracts; effectiveness of these systems in managing water sustainably and justly; case studies; challenges and opportunities; and policy evaluations.
• Pricing, subsidies and market mechanisms: The impact of water pricing on allocation efficiency, affordability, and sustainability; pricing strategies; challenges and opportunities of tradeable permits. Contributions will be welcomed that study the effectiveness of subsidy reform in agricultural water management as this connects change in societal priorities to changes in farming practices, water control, water resources, and the environment.
• Collaborative platforms and voluntary coordination arrangements: Role of stakeholder committees and formal and informal associations; partnerships involving e.g. the public, community, and private-sector actors; collective action platforms, etc.
• The application of technologies supportive of regulatory frameworks: The opportunities and challenges of existing and innovative technologies such as remote sensing, forecasting and nowcasting simulation models, data analytics, and telemetry, for improving water allocation and operational management.
• Capacity building: The need for, and experiences with capacity building in strengthening water allocation practices through, e.g., institutional development, training and support initiatives.

Key dates:

Deadline for submission of abstract (1 - 2 pages) comprising background and relevance of the study, methodology or approach, preliminary results and conclusions: January 15^th, 2025.

Authors whose abstract was accepted will be invited to submit their full papers via a revision decision in the system. 

Deadline for manuscript submission: May 15^th, 2025

Expected publication: Articles will be published online as soon as possible after acceptance.

Guest Editors:

Jonatan Godinez Madrigal, IHE Delft, The Netherlands

Andrea B. Müller, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Guy Alaerts, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, The Netherlands

Leon Hermans, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Joyeeta Gupta, University of Amsterdam and IHE Delft, The Netherlands

How to submit:

Please submit your abstract directly to Water Policy’s peer review system. Then choose the article type – ‘Special Issue Article OA’ and the submission category – Special Issue: WatAllo24. This will send your abstract to one of the Guest Editors. If your abstract is accepted, you will be invited to submit a revision, at which point you will be able to upload your full paper.