Project Partners
Members of the Consortium
University of Oxford (UoX), School of Geography and the Environment (
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR
Fundación Diálogo Comunidades y Medio Ambiente (FDCMA), La Paz, (Bolivia)
University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Faculty of Social Sciences,
Institute of Social Research (FCS-IIGG) (
Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO)
(
Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar)
Department of Social Sciences (DCSo)
(
Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO)
(
University of Lisbon (UoL),
Institute of Social Sciences (
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, National University
of Misiones (UNAM) (
Institute of the Conurbated
Metropolitan Area, National University of General Sarmiento
(ICO-UNGS) (
Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS), Centro de Estudios Superiores Universitarios (CESU), Cochabamba (Bolivia)
University of Newcastle, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology (UoNew-Geo) (
School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE), University of Oxford
PRINWASS project coordinator moved to Newcastle University in 2005. Click here to contact him Prof. José Esteban Castro.
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Institute of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology (IEEB),
Tampere University Finland
The Institute of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology at Tampere University of Technology offers multidiscipline education from traditional civil and environmental engineering to biotechnology. Since the late 1970s the Institute has undertaken cooperation activities with African countries in the fields of education and research. More than 100 engineers from Africa have received their MSc education at the Institute, in addition to five doctoral degrees. Since 1984, the research programme ‘Capacity Development in Water Services (CADWES), Development of Sustainable Economic Infrastructure’, the Institute has carried out further research on water sector institutions and organizations, while also fostering international cooperation in the field. The research has concentrated on tackling the key factors of capacity building: (i) creating an enabling environment with an appropriate policy and legal framework, (ii) institutional development, including community participation, and (iii) human resources development and strengthening of managerial systems. Since the 1970s, these activities have been implemented in cooperation with African universities and, since the 1990s, the cooperation has been extended to include Baltic universities and research institutes.
Current research themes of the CADWES team include:
Water sector management
Water utility management
Public-private partnerships
Customer oriented water services
Long-term evolution and governance of water and environmental services
Principal researchers involved in the network:
Visiting researcher:
Dr Ezekiel Nyangeri Nyanchaga, University of Nairobi, Department of Civil Engineering
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Environmental Planning Laboratory, University of the Aegean (UoA)
The Environmental Planning Laboratory is part of the Department of Environmental Studies of the University of the Aegean in Greece. It undertakes multidisciplinary research in environmental planning contributing to the advancement of knowledge and methodology in integrated spatial environmental policy and planning. The activities of the Laboratory extend also in international and national consulting in environmental planning, integrated water resource management, integrated coastal zone management, island planning, urban and regional policy, etc. The Laboratory has participated in many Greek and European research programs and has provided assistance through demonstration or consultancy work to many regions in Greece, Europe, and also in Mediterranean and developing countries.
Principal researchers involved in the project:
Prof. Harry Coccosis
Dr Giorgos Kallis
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Fundación Diálogo Comunidades y Medio Ambiente (FDCMA), La Paz, (Bolivia)
Fundación
Diálogo (Comunidades
y Medio Ambiente)
is a private not-for-profit foundation founded in 1997 and dedicated to research
and development work on indigenous affairs, natural resources and the environment
in
Director of the Foundation: Ramiro Molina Rivero
Address: Avenida Gobles # 6389, Irpavi, La Paz, Bolivia
Telephone/Fax: 591-22-722140
Principal researchers involved in this project:
Dr George Gray Molina
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Research Institute Gino Germani (IIGG),
Faculty of Social Sciences,
National University of Buenos Aires Argentina
The Research Institute Gino Germani (IIGG) at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FCS), University of Buenos Aires, is one of the largest social science research centres in the country. It was created on the basis of the well-established Institute of Sociology, originally launched in 1940, which became an international research centre thanks to the contribution of the Italian sociologist Gino Germani. Today, it houses academics from the five sub-faculties of the FCS, Sociology, Political Science, Communication, Labour Relations, and Social Work, and also a number of senior researchers from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). Work is organized in thematic areas and is carried out by interdisciplinary research teams with expertise in health, population, culture, politics, rural studies, urban studies, state reform, conflict and social change, labor and employment, gender issues, social stratification, public opinion, science and society, technological change, education, historical sociology, youth, epistemology and philosophy of social action. Among the Institute’s research teams with expertise relevant for this project is worth mentioning the following: Population, Health and Society, Conflict and Social Change, Urban Studies, Public Sector and State Reform, Science, Technology and Society.
A facet of the Institute’s activities which is highly relevant for this research project is that it has developed a co-operative working framework with a number of NGOs, government departments, municipalities, research centers, universities, and international organizations. In addition to this, the IIGG has already established research links with several user and community organizations which have been recently involved in mobilizations and negotiations around the provision of water and sanitation in Buenos Aires. This will favor the access to information, ensure the participation of stakeholders in the process, and provide an excellent vehicle for the dissemination of research results.
Principal researchers involved in the network:
Prof. Juan Carlos Marín Menchaca
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Latin American
Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Argentina
The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) is an international institution, regional and autonomous, created with the mandate to promote critical teaching and research in the social sciences focusing on the development and integration of Latin American countries. FLACSO was created in 1957 during the Latin American Conference on Social Sciences held in Rio de Janeiro with the support of UNESCO and the participation of the Member States. The original office was created in Santiago de Chile, but the 1973 military cup interrupted the activities, especially the postgraduate courses in Sociology and Political Science attended by students and professors from all over Latin America. This situation prompted the decentralization of the institution in 1974 with the purpose of ensuring its permanence as an international body, which resulted in the creation of several academic units in different countries of the region. Today, FLACSO has units in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Dominican Republic. The General Secretary is located in San Jose de Costa Rica.
Among the key objectives of the institution which are relevant for this project are:
· Ensuring the training of specialists in Social Sciences in Latin America through postgraduate courses of specialization;
· Diffusing knowledge produced by the social sciences, and particularly research findings, through all available means with the support of governments and other organizations in a cooperative fashion;
· Providing scientific advice to governments, research institutions and teaching centers in the region;
· Collaborating with national universities and similar institutions in developing teaching and research programmes to promote cooperation, especially between international regional and national organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.
FLACSO maintains an intensive collaborative activity with national, regional and international institutions through its teaching, research, consultancy and advisory activities.
Area of Economy and Technology
Research in this area started in 1980 and has been mainly concentrated the political economy of technology, development, key economic players, industrial structure, and public policy in the Argentinean economy. During the the 1990s new lines of inquiry were developed, especially one on regulation, privatization and public services and another one on the agricultural sector. One of the most important projects in the area is ‘Privatisation and regulation in the Argentinean economy’, directed by Daniel Azpiazu with funding from the Secretary of Science and Technology (SECYT), National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), and Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).
Principal researcher involved in the project:
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Department
of Social Sciences (DCSo),
Federal University Sao Carlos Brazil
The Department of Social Sciences at Sao Carlos offers graduate and postgraduate courses in Sociology, Political Science and Anthropology. It has a permanent teaching and research staff composed by 16 lecturers and 5 assistant lecturers, 85% of who have achieved doctoral degrees in recognized institutions. The expertise in the department covers Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Economy and History. The Department also publishes the journal Teoria & Pesquisa, which offers an excellent vehicle for the diffusion of research work.
The department has four main research areas, all of which are relevant for this proposal: a) Symbolic Production and Culture, b) Social Organization, c) Technology, Development and Environment, and d) Institutions and Political Behavior. Within this context, the area of Technology, Development and Environment houses a significant number of projects oriented at regional and environmental studies. Among other individual projects, it is worth mentioning the "Evaluation of the Socio-environmental impact of Hydraulic Projects", and "Social perception of water problems related to quality, quantity and cost in two river basins of the state of Sao Paulo: a domestic users’ opinion survey". The department is the co-coordinator of this interdisciplinary project.
Through these activities, the department has established an excellent working relationship with relevant government departments and other agencies, which will provide excellent partnerships for the current proposal, especially regarding access to information about WSS and WSM. In particular, we have the commitment of the Water and Sanitation National Information System, the Water and Sanitation National Associations of state-owned enterprises (AESBE), the Association of Municipal Services (ASSEMAE) and the Association of Private Companies (ABCON).
Principal researchers involved in this project:
Dr Ricardo Toledo Silva (Visiting Scholar based at the Unit for Research of Urban Information, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo (USP)
Alessandro Leme
Roberval Francisco de Lima
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Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) – Mexico
In the context of increasing globalization, FLACSO Mexico promotes interdisciplinary approaches in the social sciences based on the creation of international research networks and thematic research areas. There is an ongoing feedback between research and teaching activities at FLACSO.
The institution offers four different courses:
MA in Population Studies
MA in Social Sciences
MA in Government
PhD in Political Science
Among the main thematic areas currently covered by research projects are:
‘Socio-demographic, economic and institutional characteristics of the Mexican Pacific Coast in the context of global change’
‘Citizenship, multiculturalism and democracy’
‘Employment, social policy and development’
‘Urban space, local government, culture and communication in Latin America’
‘The political reform of the Mexican state’
‘Water and society’
Dr María Luisa Torregrossa Armentia, currently co-coordinator of the MA programme in Social Sciences, has headed the research programme on ‘Water and society’ since 1988. The activities of the programme have included the training of students, collaborative interdisciplinary research, and consultancy work for the Mexican Water authorities (National Water Commission [CNA], Mexican Institute for Water Technology [IMTA]) and international organizations (FAO – Mexico, World Bank).
Principal researchers involved in the project:
Dr María Luisa Torregrossa Armentia
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Institute
of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon , Portugal
The Institute of Social Sciences (ICS) was created in 1982 and has faculty status. The ICS is heir to the pioneering work carried out by the Sociological Research Unit since the 1960s under the leadership of Prof. Adérito Sedas Nunes. The ICS houses the prestigious journal Análise Social, which has played a central role in the evolution of Portuguese Social science ever since its foundation in 1963.
The ICS aims at the promotion of research and post-graduate teaching. It has currently 36 research fellows and 36 external collaborators. The research work is organized in 12 integrated research programmes and 56 unitary research projects. The Postgraduate Studies Teaching Programme offers a two-year M.A. and a Ph.D in Social sciences. The M.A. was launched in 1992 and provides different thematic specializations. The Ph.D offers mentions in Social and Cultural Anthropology, General Sociology, Political Sociology and Historical Sociology.
Principal researchers involved in this project:
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Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences, National University
of Misiones (UNAM), Argentina
The Postgraduate Programme in Social Anthropology at UNAM, created in 1995, is the most important academic institution dedicated to social science training and research in North-eastern Argentina. It offers both a Master and a PhD programme, and it attracts not only national students but also candidates from other South American countries including Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Colombia.
Among other projects carried out by the research team at UNAM are:
· Regional economy and public policy in the context of MERCOSUR.
· Networks and Rivers. The organizations of environmental NGO networks and their policies for the development and conservation of hydraulic resources in the River Plate basin.
· Development styles and impact of large infrastructure projects in Misiones (Argentina): the ecological anthropology of Yacyretá and the "Green Corridor" 2001-2003
· Local government and citizen participation
· Public policy and social change. Transformations in hydraulic resources management in the Argentinean Northeast: the impact of the privatization of urban water and sanitation services.
Principal researchers involved in this project:
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National University of General Sarmiento (UNGS), Institute of the Conurbated
Metropolitan Area Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Institute of the Conurbated Metropolitan Area (ICO) is a leading centre dedicated to research, teaching and community service provision both at the national level and in Latin America. It makes a valuable contribution to the construction of a “public sphere” in the region by promoting meetings between intellectuals, politicians, technical personnel and social agents to discuss urban issues and sustainable development processes. The ICO's research program focuses mainly on theoretical and socially relevant aspects of the “urban question”, and promotes a multidisciplinary approach to cover such issues as Social Policy, State, Government and Public Administration, Urban Economic Systems, Urban Ecology and Town Planning.
Principal researchers involved in the network:
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The Higher University of San Simón (UMSS), Centre for Higher University Studies (CESU), Cochabamba, Bolivia.
The Higher University of San Simón (UMSS) was founded in 1832 and is the second largest of
The Centre for Higher University Studies (CESU) is a multidisciplinary postgraduate institution with expertise in Economics, Social and Political Sciences and Humanities. CESU has close links with NGOs, government institutions, and internacional universities, and its main objective is the organization of academic and technical training programmes (Specialisation, Master and Doctorate levels) and research.
The UMSS has also a Water Resources Centre, created in 1985 jointly with the Catholic University of Louvaine, Belgium, a Laboratory for Water and Environmental anitation, a Centre for Limnology and Aquatic Resources, a Centre for Biodiversity, and a Centre for Environment and Renewable Resources.
Principal researchers involved in this network:
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University of Newcastle, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology (UoNew-Geo),
Principal researchers involved in this project:
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Last updated: December 2008
