Author: Jackwin Simbolon
Simbolon, Jackwin, 2018 Water as a public good: A critical review of water governance in Nauli City, Flinders University, College of Business, Government and Law
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Conflict has arisen as local governments and local water companies quarrel over access to business opportunities to commodify water and to transform water from a common good into a product.
The thesis makes the case that the Indonesian constitution (signed 18th August 1945), which stresses that water, is an inalienable right needs to be upheld. Details of the way in which service delivery has been neglected are core themes of this thesis.
Proliferation of local governments following the implementation of the decentralisation law in Indonesia has resulted in the creation of silos in governments and public services. This thesis focuses on a case study of the social, economic and environmental challenge of water management in Nauli City, one of the driest and poorest areas in Indonesia. It makes a contribution to public administration and public policy by detailing the wicked problem of water provision by using Werner Ulrich’s Critical System Heuristics (CSH) to address the current issues and to make policy recommendations based on exploring the nature of the problem. Finally, the thesis proposes a policy analysis to inform the improvement of water delivery.
Keywords: water management, critical systems thinking, Indonesia, Water Commodification.
Subject: Water Resources Management thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2018
School: College of Business, Government and Law
Supervisor: Janet McIntyre