Going Dutch in the Mekong Delta: a framing perspective on water policy translation

Abstract

In response to the rising climatic impacts on worldwide urbanized deltas, the Netherlands has strategically and politically framed Dutch water management as a global water solution for improving water safety and flood protection in other countries such as Vietnam. Being renowned for its water management approach, the Netherlands is particularly active in sharing water knowledge, insights, and policies internationally. This paper connects a framing perspective to policy translation studies to understand the role of language and meaning-making in the cross-border travel of policies. Adopting a framing perspective, it presents four dimensions of water policy translation concerning how policy frames are being created and interpretedduring the cross-border travel. The paper follows the process of the Dutch water management approach being 'packaged' as global water solutions and 'translated' to inform the development of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta Plan of 2013. The results show that although similar concepts, metaphors and narratives could be witnessed in this translation process, the local use and interpretation of these concepts remain challenging. Inclusive engagement, shared and comprehensive understanding, and continuous exchange and learning processes could help to improve cross-border policy-making for sustainable delta management.

Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia

“…We then exported the coding reports from each case study for the comparative analysis of each rule based on our operationalization of the rules-in-use (Table 1). For both cases, we also used key insights and findings relevant to recently published literature [45,[49][50][51][52] to strengthen our analysis.…”

“…The formulation of the MDP was a modification of the Dutch delta management approach, which was translated to the Vietnamese interests and ambitions in delta management. Therefore, the focus of the plan shifted from water and climate risk to agriculture and economic development [45,50,57]. The WaL program also enabled the cocreation of solutions between the multidisciplinary design teams and local stakeholders.…”

Deltas in dialogue: Imagining policy transfer from the Netherlands to Vietnam and Bangladesh as a symmetrical conversation

“…The Dutch water sector has a prominent position in the delta networks and coalitions that are emerging as a result of these initiatives. Yet, there is a slowly growing body of critical scholarship—emerging from diverse fields, including policy studies, water management and governance, urban planning and the anthropology of development—about Dutch interventions and water‐projects in deltas outside of the Netherlands (see e.g., Colven, 2017; Ivars & Venot, 2019; Khalequzzaman, 2016; Laeni et al, 2020; Minkman et al, 2019; Richter, 2019; Shannon, 2019; Vink et al, 2013; Weger, 2019; Yarina, 2018). Some of the critique focuses on the social and ecological impacts of large infrastructural projects that the Dutch help finance, design and implement, particularly questioning how such projects provoke the displacement of people who are already very vulnerable (see Batubara et al, 2018; Richter, 2020; Shannon, 2019).…”

Citizens' values and tough trade-off choices in road infrastructure planning

“…By conducting a comparative analysis, potential best practices and challenges in enhancing public participation can be identified, offering diverse perspectives on valued landscapes and their implications for planning practices. Notably, the work of Laeni et al (2020) supports the significance of such cross-cultural examinations and policy translation. The process of policy translation involves interpretations and modifications of policy ideas, extending from their inception in one country to their adoption and implementation in other nations (de Jong & Edelenbos (2007).…”