TY - JOUR
T1 - Water Management as a Social Field
T2 - A Method for Engineering Solutions
AU - De Luque-Villa, Miguel A.
AU - González-Méndez, Mauricio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/10
Y1 - 2024/10
N2 - This paper proposes the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of social fields, capital, and habitus to analyze water management in Colombia. By mapping the social dynamics of water management, this study examines the interactions and power relationships among agents, including government agencies, private companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and local communities. The analysis reveals how various forms of capital, such as economic, cultural, social, and symbolic, influence water management practices, policies, and the distribution of power. Integrating agent-based modeling with hydrological simulations provides a more nuanced understanding of how social dynamics influence water management. This interdisciplinary approach helps develop more adaptive and equitable strategies by capturing the complex interactions between human behavior and environmental factors. This study highlights the need to localize the analysis of the social field to capture regional customs and specific social dynamics. This localized approach ensures that water management strategies are more relevant, context sensitive, and sustainable. This paper advocates for the wider adoption of agent-based modeling in water management, proposing a methodology that combines the engineering principles of practical problem solving and adaptive design with an understanding of the social complexities in water management.
AB - This paper proposes the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of social fields, capital, and habitus to analyze water management in Colombia. By mapping the social dynamics of water management, this study examines the interactions and power relationships among agents, including government agencies, private companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and local communities. The analysis reveals how various forms of capital, such as economic, cultural, social, and symbolic, influence water management practices, policies, and the distribution of power. Integrating agent-based modeling with hydrological simulations provides a more nuanced understanding of how social dynamics influence water management. This interdisciplinary approach helps develop more adaptive and equitable strategies by capturing the complex interactions between human behavior and environmental factors. This study highlights the need to localize the analysis of the social field to capture regional customs and specific social dynamics. This localized approach ensures that water management strategies are more relevant, context sensitive, and sustainable. This paper advocates for the wider adoption of agent-based modeling in water management, proposing a methodology that combines the engineering principles of practical problem solving and adaptive design with an understanding of the social complexities in water management.
KW - Bourdieu
KW - agent-based modeling
KW - engineering method
KW - participatory modeling
KW - social field
KW - water management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85206496586&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/w16192842
DO - 10.3390/w16192842
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85206496586
SN - 2073-4441
VL - 16
JO - Water (Switzerland)
JF - Water (Switzerland)
IS - 19
M1 - 2842
ER -