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Papers by Marta Rica
Different groundwater user groups have emerged both in the field of public and private law, besid... more Different groundwater user groups have emerged both in the field of public and private law, besides individual initiatives, represented through different levels and types of organization. In this paper we analyze the institutional diversity with regards to the influence on these different organisational forms and how this diversity impacts (or not) on resource management by zooming in into each type of organization, the motivation by users to join and participate and impact collective action has on groundwater use and its dependent ecosystems. The study uses a Social Ecological Systems framework to study three groundwater basins in the SE of Spain, in order to compare and evaluate collective action initiatives. The study shows that there are differences in the nature and interests of user organizations, their effectiveness in managing groundwater and the success of different initiatives by users to maintain the resilience of the whole SES. Results show that priority is given to the social subunit which is becoming more resilient with the introduction of alternative sources to the system, it is less clear whether this also applies to the ecological system which by definition means that only one part (the social) of the social ecological system has increased its resilience though the collective action by users.
International Journal of Water Governance, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper uses the metaphor of a pressure cooker to highlight how water problems in Spa... more ABSTRACT This paper uses the metaphor of a pressure cooker to highlight how water problems in Spain are highly geographical and sectorial in nature, with some specific hotspots which raise the temperature of the whole water complex system, turning many potentially solvable water problems into ‘wicked problems’. The paper discusses the tendency for water governance to be hydrocentric, when often the drivers and in turn the “solutions” to Spanish water problems lie outside the water sphere. The paper analyzes of the current water governance system by looking at water governance as both a process, and its key attributes like participation, trans- parency, equity and rule of law, as well as an analysis of water governance as an outcome by looking at efficiency and sustainability of water use in Spain. It concludes on the need to have a deeper knowledge on the interactions of water governance as a process and as an outcome and potential synergies and arguing that water governance is an inherently political process which calls for strengthening the capacity of the system by looking at the interactions of these different governance attributes.
can we square the circle?, 2012
Irrigation and Drainage, 2012
This paper analyses the emergence and evolution of collective action in relation to intensive gro... more This paper analyses the emergence and evolution of collective action in relation to intensive groundwater user by looking at the case of groundwater user associations in Spain. The paper analyses the rules in norm or constitutional level and the typology of collective organizations, to then offer an empirical analysis of the main factors for the emergence and evolution of collective action in Spanish Groundwater user associations. It identifies some key endogenous and exogenous factors that either facilitate or hinder collective action by groundwater users, as well as documenting their evolution through time towards a more diverse institutional range, partly explained by reaching increasing resource limits, which triggers looking for additional resources to minimize and manage risk and uncertainty.
Water International, 2014
This article examines different forms and levels of collective action by aquifer users in securin... more This article examines different forms and levels of collective action by aquifer users in securing access to over-allocated groundwater resources using a case study of La Loma, Úbeda (Jaén, Spain), one of the largest olive-growing areas in the world. It shows how opportunities for collective water management increase at the basin level as bargaining spaces increase but also how political rent influences the institutional designs that emerge. The article identifies an opportunity to redesign the organizational and institutional configurations by both securing access to water and strengthening collaborative spaces at the basin level.
Different groundwater user groups have emerged both in the field of public and private law, besid... more Different groundwater user groups have emerged both in the field of public and private law, besides individual initiatives, represented through different levels and types of organization. In this paper we analyze the institutional diversity with regards to the influence on these different organisational forms and how this diversity impacts (or not) on resource management by zooming in into each type of organization, the motivation by users to join and participate and impact collective action has on groundwater use and its dependent ecosystems. The study uses a Social Ecological Systems framework to study three groundwater basins in the SE of Spain, in order to compare and evaluate collective action initiatives. The study shows that there are differences in the nature and interests of user organizations, their effectiveness in managing groundwater and the success of different initiatives by users to maintain the resilience of the whole SES. Results show that priority is given to the social subunit which is becoming more resilient with the introduction of alternative sources to the system, it is less clear whether this also applies to the ecological system which by definition means that only one part (the social) of the social ecological system has increased its resilience though the collective action by users.
International Journal of Water Governance, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper uses the metaphor of a pressure cooker to highlight how water problems in Spa... more ABSTRACT This paper uses the metaphor of a pressure cooker to highlight how water problems in Spain are highly geographical and sectorial in nature, with some specific hotspots which raise the temperature of the whole water complex system, turning many potentially solvable water problems into ‘wicked problems’. The paper discusses the tendency for water governance to be hydrocentric, when often the drivers and in turn the “solutions” to Spanish water problems lie outside the water sphere. The paper analyzes of the current water governance system by looking at water governance as both a process, and its key attributes like participation, trans- parency, equity and rule of law, as well as an analysis of water governance as an outcome by looking at efficiency and sustainability of water use in Spain. It concludes on the need to have a deeper knowledge on the interactions of water governance as a process and as an outcome and potential synergies and arguing that water governance is an inherently political process which calls for strengthening the capacity of the system by looking at the interactions of these different governance attributes.
can we square the circle?, 2012
Irrigation and Drainage, 2012
This paper analyses the emergence and evolution of collective action in relation to intensive gro... more This paper analyses the emergence and evolution of collective action in relation to intensive groundwater user by looking at the case of groundwater user associations in Spain. The paper analyses the rules in norm or constitutional level and the typology of collective organizations, to then offer an empirical analysis of the main factors for the emergence and evolution of collective action in Spanish Groundwater user associations. It identifies some key endogenous and exogenous factors that either facilitate or hinder collective action by groundwater users, as well as documenting their evolution through time towards a more diverse institutional range, partly explained by reaching increasing resource limits, which triggers looking for additional resources to minimize and manage risk and uncertainty.
Water International, 2014
This article examines different forms and levels of collective action by aquifer users in securin... more This article examines different forms and levels of collective action by aquifer users in securing access to over-allocated groundwater resources using a case study of La Loma, Úbeda (Jaén, Spain), one of the largest olive-growing areas in the world. It shows how opportunities for collective water management increase at the basin level as bargaining spaces increase but also how political rent influences the institutional designs that emerge. The article identifies an opportunity to redesign the organizational and institutional configurations by both securing access to water and strengthening collaborative spaces at the basin level.