Effects of anti-dam campaigns on institutional capacity: A case study of Meinung from Taiwan
Journal
Paddy and Water Environment
Journal Volume
11
Journal Issue
1-4
Pages
353-367
Date Issued
2013
Author(s)
Abstract
An anti-dam campaign is usually derived from the local protest against the policy of regional distribution of water resources. Although the protest against formal governments could sometimes achieve local purpose, the locals still have to face the place-making issues for better daily life after local demonstrations. This paper focuses on a case study from Meinung in Taiwan and argues that the anti-dam campaign is able to strengthen the institutional capacity for governance. It examines three approaches to handling the effects of demonstrations and their implications for a better quality of place-making for local sustainability. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used including fieldwork, social network analysis, and multi-nominal logistic regression. The results show that the process of governance has expanded its institutional capacity building among organizations. Not only is the number of organizational activities increased, but also the range and density of network structure. The network morphology was gradually expanded from the casual representatives to the multi-functional frames and derivative corridors. There are significant relationships between perceived institutional capacity and the local sustainability of residents. Therefore, local organizations may need to promote their institutional capacity and collaborations among them. Because the anti-dam becomes a common political issue in Taiwan, the future of water resources management must adopt the win-win policy of strengthening governance into an evaluation of institutional capacity to achieve overall local sustainability. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.
Type
journal article