Water and Society
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Program Information
The focus of the Water and Society program is to understand and analyse how communities interact with water supply, water quantity and water quality issues. Households and communities respond in varying ways to varying water issues,
information flows and different incentives, institutions and regulatory structures. Understanding the relationship between these factors and community reactions can help policy makers to provide better information back to communities and to introduce different water management strategies that more effectively meet community needs. There are a wide range of skills required in this program, including those drawn from economics, sociology, public policy, impact assessment, governance, law and marketing.
Key areas of particular focus in this program include
- Urban water demand management
- Implications of the water reform agenda for urban and regional communities
- Governance arrangements for water assets
- Understanding community values, beliefs and attitudes to water issues
- Community values for water supply, water quality and water security
Current Research
- Demands for water quality and environmental protection in Rockhampton (CQU)
- Values for water recreation use and improvements to water quality (CQU)
- Metrics for improving water quality (CQU)
- SEQ Residential End Use Study (UWSRA)
Research Directions
Core Team
Dr. Susan Kinnear (CQU)
Dr. Jill Windle (CQU)
Dr. Delwar Akbar (CQU)
Galina Ivanova (CQU)
Dr. Anne Roiko (USC)
Claudia Baldwin (USC)
Dr. John Mackenzie (GU)
Assoc. Prof. Poh-Ling Tan (GU)
Dr. Rodney Stewart (GU)
Capabilities
The Water in Society program has a number of researchers with a wide range of skills, as well as close links with the other program areas in the Smart Water Research Centre . The core skills are in the areas of resource economics, sociology and impact assessment. These key skills can be used to identify and analyse the impacts of different issues and policy changes on a community, as well as to design and evaluate different policy options. Other key skill areas include community survey and engagement methods, data and statistical analysis, interviews and other qualitative data techniques, the application of non-market valuation techniques and other methods used to assess community tradeoffs, and the evaluation and development of both institutional frameworks and policy mechanisms.
