Bonding & Bridgingin Capacity Development Networks

Prof. Dr. Wim van Vierssen, CEO, KWR Watercycle Research Institute

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The Challenge of Capacity Development

COMBINING:

• different types of knowledge

(tacit/explicit, scientific/practical)

• a diversity of actors (water

disciplines, societal sectors,

geographical levels)

• a diversity of formal and informal

norms and rules

• mutual interdependencies and

exchange of resources (budget,

status, leadership)

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Complex Capacity Development Networks

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UN-Water: Enabling Capacity DevelopmentInterfaces

• bonding among actors through organizing interactions across policy and practice, across water disciplines and across geographical levels

• bridging (strongly) institutionalized boundaries between policy and practice, water disciplines and geographical levels through strategic decisions

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Example: boundaries betweenwater professionals in the Netherlands

    ALTERS  

  water domainsdrinking water sewerage wastewater water management unrelated to water

sample size

EGO

drinking water71% 17% 27% 25% 11% 364

sewerage20% 62% 49% 41% 4% 318

wastewater22% 27% 68% 27% 10% 523

water management17% 25% 26% 70% 11% 565

unrelated to water24% 15% 12% 36% 48% 33

  sample size 344 276 445 526 159  

Source: Wen et al., in prep.

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Example: boundaries betweenwater professionals in the Netherlands

    ALTERS  

  societal sectorsbusiness government science NGO others

sample size

EGO

business37% 46% 8% 6% 2% 100%

government35% 49% 9% 4% 2% 100%

science23% 34% 24% 13% 7% 100%

NGO35% 20% 15% 31% 0% 100%

others33% 25% 14% 3% 24% 100%

  sample size 466 590 156 112 50  

Source: Wen et al., in prep.

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Example: boundaries betweenwater professionals in the Netherlands

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Network Science meetsCapacity Development

Practice

Expertise in

Scientific Research onWater-related

Knowledge Networks

Expertise in

Water relatedCapacity Development

Practices

+

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How to deal with complexity?

1. Mapping the emerging network

Safe Use of Wastewaterin Agriculture project

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How to deal with complexity?

2. Identifying capacity needs and gaps

Knowledge

Actors Relations Network

Affiliation

Motivation

Attitude

Trust

Duration

Intensity

Proximity

Diversity

Bonding

Bridging

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How to deal with complexity?

3. Recommendations for a productive and robust

network

‘Right’ balance between:

BONDING(proximity between actors and groups, which enhances communication and interaction)

BRIDGING(diversity among actors and groups, which prevents redundancy and enhances integration and coproduction)

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Thank you for your attention