Governing the use of water: the institutional context

The use of water presents an inherent problem for governing, and this paper brings a political science perspective to bear on institutional questions which arise in relation to recycling. Here, “institution” is not to be equated with “government organization”: the paper draws on institutional organizational analysis and social construction analysis to show that the governing of water use should be seen not as a technical response to an unambiguous need, but as the outcome of a continuing and complex process of institutionalization. It briefly outlines the “traditional” institutionalization of water use in Australia, and the way in which this has been challenged by rhetorics of managerial control, goal specificity, market forces, and public accessibility, all of which underlie the recent National Water Initiative. In this context, recycling has to be seen not simply as a technical alternative to present practice, but as a challenge to the existing institutionalization of water use, particularly in respect of the place of water users in governing of water use.