347
18 Assessing Governability – What’s Next
from enjoying coastal space. A common governing response is to undertake spatial
demarcation and boundary control. When, for instance, competing user groups are
kept apart, there is less likelihood that they will get entangled in con fl ict. An alternative response to this problem is to encourage co-operation by forming partnerships
(Buanes and Jentoft 2005 ). After all, the relationship between fi sheries, coastal
tourism, marine aquaculture, coastal transportation and offshore oil exploration
does not need to be antagonistic. How to transform a con fl ictive relationship into a
cooperative and symbiotic one is a wicked problem and a governability challenge in
and of itself.
At a general level, governability is a function of processes that occur within and
between the system-to-be-governed, governing system and governing interactions.
Interactive governance theory thus broadens the perspective of governability to
something that is not solely an issue and responsibility of the governing system.
Governability further depends on the ability of the totality of these systems to deliver
on the challenges and demands brought about by their diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale.
Steps 1 and 2 of the governability assessment described in this chapter help to
identify what the system-to-be-governed, governing system and governing interactions are made up of, how they work, and what might possibly explain their problematic nature. The goals of governance and the concerns that they relate to, be they
food security, ecosystem health, sustainable livelihoods or social justice, are assumed
to be negotiated internally as part of these interactions. They are not preconceived
and predetermined as something that the system necessarily tries to achieve. The
ways in which goals are actually set with regard to these governance concerns is
thus to be assessed empirically. In fact, we anticipate that they are themselves outcomes of the interactions structured by the particular systems under scrutiny. In
these systems and interactions, power is assumed to play an important role.
Governing system goals and strategies may fall short of what is considered to be
ecologically and economically sustainable or socially just. It is for reasons such as
these that addressing governability begins by recognizing and re fl ecting upon the
wickedness of the governance problems. Only then can one expect these systems to
deliver on the major concerns of fi sheries and aquaculture governance, and the goals
of governance that follow from them.
As Chuenpagdee and Jentoft ( 2009 ) previously argue, assessing governability is
part of a reality check that governors must engage in to improve governance effectiveness. Since many fi sheries and aquaculture governance problems are essentially
wicked, one should not jump to conclusions about solutions. Governability assessments should be part of the governance process and routine, and should be performed
prior to, rather than after, major governance reforms are initiated. Several tools and
approaches to examine the various characteristics of the fi sheries and aquaculture
systems for their governability are readily available (see Chuenpagdee and Mahon,
Chap. 14 , this volume). It is a matter of being mindful and aware of how the various
features explained in Table 18.1 may affect governability and how useful these tools
are for assessing them. The stakes in fi sheries and aquaculture are simply too high
for easy solutions and quick fi xes. Complex and dynamic social and ecological
18 Assessing Governability – What’s Next
from enjoying coastal space. A common governing response is to undertake spatial
demarcation and boundary control. When, for instance, competing user groups are
kept apart, there is less likelihood that they will get entangled in con fl ict. An alternative response to this problem is to encourage co-operation by forming partnerships
(Buanes and Jentoft 2005 ). After all, the relationship between fi sheries, coastal
tourism, marine aquaculture, coastal transportation and offshore oil exploration
does not need to be antagonistic. How to transform a con fl ictive relationship into a
cooperative and symbiotic one is a wicked problem and a governability challenge in
and of itself.
At a general level, governability is a function of processes that occur within and
between the system-to-be-governed, governing system and governing interactions.
Interactive governance theory thus broadens the perspective of governability to
something that is not solely an issue and responsibility of the governing system.
Governability further depends on the ability of the totality of these systems to deliver
on the challenges and demands brought about by their diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale.
Steps 1 and 2 of the governability assessment described in this chapter help to
identify what the system-to-be-governed, governing system and governing interactions are made up of, how they work, and what might possibly explain their problematic nature. The goals of governance and the concerns that they relate to, be they
food security, ecosystem health, sustainable livelihoods or social justice, are assumed
to be negotiated internally as part of these interactions. They are not preconceived
and predetermined as something that the system necessarily tries to achieve. The
ways in which goals are actually set with regard to these governance concerns is
thus to be assessed empirically. In fact, we anticipate that they are themselves outcomes of the interactions structured by the particular systems under scrutiny. In
these systems and interactions, power is assumed to play an important role.
Governing system goals and strategies may fall short of what is considered to be
ecologically and economically sustainable or socially just. It is for reasons such as
these that addressing governability begins by recognizing and re fl ecting upon the
wickedness of the governance problems. Only then can one expect these systems to
deliver on the major concerns of fi sheries and aquaculture governance, and the goals
of governance that follow from them.
As Chuenpagdee and Jentoft ( 2009 ) previously argue, assessing governability is
part of a reality check that governors must engage in to improve governance effectiveness. Since many fi sheries and aquaculture governance problems are essentially
wicked, one should not jump to conclusions about solutions. Governability assessments should be part of the governance process and routine, and should be performed
prior to, rather than after, major governance reforms are initiated. Several tools and
approaches to examine the various characteristics of the fi sheries and aquaculture
systems for their governability are readily available (see Chuenpagdee and Mahon,
Chap. 14 , this volume). It is a matter of being mindful and aware of how the various
features explained in Table 18.1 may affect governability and how useful these tools
are for assessing them. The stakes in fi sheries and aquaculture are simply too high
for easy solutions and quick fi xes. Complex and dynamic social and ecological