12 Ott. 2015 - Beatrice Mosello

A political scientist and water: stories from Africa (and the UK)

Presenta: Beatrice Mosello
Senior Research Officer, Water Policy Programme (WPP)
Overseas Development Institute, London, UK

As a consequence of population growth, climate change impacts on temperature and rainfall, increasing agricultural and industrial production, the spread of a urban lifestyle in more and more parts of the world, and little attention being paid to the environment, the threat of water scarcity seems to loom on the wellbeing of our societies and the prospects for development of others. In this context, ‘hard’ solutions such as dams and pipes can only help to a certain extent; it becomes paramount to recognize the importance of the institutional and political dimensions of water resources management: what are the rules of the game? Who gets what, how much, when and where? In this seminar, Dr Mosello will illustrate how her current research is trying to unpack some of these institutional and political processes underlying water resources management in developing and conflict‐ affected countries. Building on the methodology that she developed in the framework of her doctoral research, she will discuss some of the research questions that she is considering, with examples from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In so doing, she will also present some of the challenges and lessons learned from reporting to international donors, collaborating with local research partners, dealing with governmental authorities, involving communities and other interested parties through interviews, focus groups, and other ‘participatory methodologies’, and disseminating research results with social media and photography.

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