Government in the Republic of Cyprus: Responding to the Problems of Water Scarcity and Quality
Government in The Republic of Cyprus: Responding to the Problems of Water Scarcity and Quality Alexis Pericli December 2018 Submitted to the University of Hertfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1 ABSTRACT Water management is a significant challenge in The Republic of Cyprus. The country is subject to a number of water problems based on scarcity and quality, with these stemming from limited precipitation inputs, drought, the overuse of groundwater, as well as the spatial disparity of supply and demand due to population growth, agriculture, tourism, and climate change. The convergence of these aspects has generated water problems, which necessitate the use of particular problem-solving responses by government that are targeted at securing the provision of water services and sustaining socio-economic development. To understand how government in Cyprus has responded to water management problems this thesis adopts an understanding based on John Dryzek’s (2013) problem-solving rationalities of administrative rationalism, democratic pragmatism, and economic rationalism. These reflect and build on the three methods that societies use to coordinate and organise responses to socio- environmental problems, namely mandatory, voluntary, and economic approaches. The problem-solving rationalities provide a unique way of understanding government problem- solving due to an interpretation that focuses on the specifics of problem-solving, based on; actor roles, motives, and behaviour; rhetoric; the evolution of responses over time; as well as the use of multiple concepts that are brought together to offer a more inclusive conceptualisation. This research adopts a qualitative approach to data collection and utilises semi-structured interviews to understand the views, roles, and experiences of key actors in problem-solving.
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