26
J. Kooiman and M. Bavinck
Conclusion
This chapter had a theoretical purpose: to introduce readers to the interactive governance
approach and the concept of governability, and indicate the relevance hereof for
governing primary processes such as fi sheries and aquaculture. It has hopefully
become clear that, from the interactive governance perspective, governance is not just
about the selection of appropriate tools or instruments from a standard toolbox. With
every fi shery representing a unique constellation of factors – located in the systemto-be-governed, the governing system as well as in the governing interactions – there
is no single type of governability situation available. Instead, the governabilities of
fi sheries vary along many different axes, with some systems-to-be-governed being
more prone to limitations than others. Stakeholders and others responsible for governance in different countries and historical time periods have dissimilar priorities – the
weight they attach to concerns such as environmental health, social justice or economic progress may be quite different. Then, fi sheries systems also vary greatly in the
importance of and experience with varieties of governing interactions. The dissimilarities in factors in fl uencing governability will naturally impact on the way governability is assessed, as well as on the strategies employed toward improvement.
Another reason is the fact that fi sheries vary substantially as to their diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale. Interactive governance posits that these features have
important implications for governability, with some fi sheries facing an intrinsically
‘easier’ governance situation than others. More diverse, complex and dynamic fi sheries
are always more dif fi cult to handle, but this does not mean that their governability level
is necessarily low. After all, governability is about the governing system’s capacities to
handle the problems that plague the fi sheries system. In many instances, as subsequent
chapters will argue, these problems are ‘wicked’ and not at all easy to address. But
some governors and governing systems are able to deal with thorny issues and arrive at
acceptable solutions, while others – whose situation is ostensibly straightforward –
have a more than dif fi cult time. It is these differences, and the processes that help to
assess and de fi ne acceptable ways forward, that form the topic matter of the book.
References
Armitage, D., & Johnson, D. (2006). Can resilience be reconciled with globalization in the increasingly complex conditions of resource degradation in Asian coastal regions. Ecology and
Society, 11, 1. Retrieved from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art2
Arnstein, S.R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of
Planners, 35, 216–224.
Bavinck, M. (2001). Marine resource management: Con fl ict and regulation in the fi sheries of the
Coromandel Coast. New Delhi: Sage.
Bavinck, M. (2005). Understanding fi sheries con fl icts in the South – A legal pluralist perspective.
Society and Natural Resources, 18(9), 805–820.
Bavinck, M., & Chuenpagdee, R. (2005). Current principles. In J. Kooima, M. Bavinck, S. Jentoft,
R. Pullin (Eds.), Fish for life: Interactive governance for fi sheries (pp. 245–264). Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press.
J. Kooiman and M. Bavinck
Conclusion
This chapter had a theoretical purpose: to introduce readers to the interactive governance
approach and the concept of governability, and indicate the relevance hereof for
governing primary processes such as fi sheries and aquaculture. It has hopefully
become clear that, from the interactive governance perspective, governance is not just
about the selection of appropriate tools or instruments from a standard toolbox. With
every fi shery representing a unique constellation of factors – located in the systemto-be-governed, the governing system as well as in the governing interactions – there
is no single type of governability situation available. Instead, the governabilities of
fi sheries vary along many different axes, with some systems-to-be-governed being
more prone to limitations than others. Stakeholders and others responsible for governance in different countries and historical time periods have dissimilar priorities – the
weight they attach to concerns such as environmental health, social justice or economic progress may be quite different. Then, fi sheries systems also vary greatly in the
importance of and experience with varieties of governing interactions. The dissimilarities in factors in fl uencing governability will naturally impact on the way governability is assessed, as well as on the strategies employed toward improvement.
Another reason is the fact that fi sheries vary substantially as to their diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale. Interactive governance posits that these features have
important implications for governability, with some fi sheries facing an intrinsically
‘easier’ governance situation than others. More diverse, complex and dynamic fi sheries
are always more dif fi cult to handle, but this does not mean that their governability level
is necessarily low. After all, governability is about the governing system’s capacities to
handle the problems that plague the fi sheries system. In many instances, as subsequent
chapters will argue, these problems are ‘wicked’ and not at all easy to address. But
some governors and governing systems are able to deal with thorny issues and arrive at
acceptable solutions, while others – whose situation is ostensibly straightforward –
have a more than dif fi cult time. It is these differences, and the processes that help to
assess and de fi ne acceptable ways forward, that form the topic matter of the book.
References
Armitage, D., & Johnson, D. (2006). Can resilience be reconciled with globalization in the increasingly complex conditions of resource degradation in Asian coastal regions. Ecology and
Society, 11, 1. Retrieved from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art2
Arnstein, S.R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of
Planners, 35, 216–224.
Bavinck, M. (2001). Marine resource management: Con fl ict and regulation in the fi sheries of the
Coromandel Coast. New Delhi: Sage.
Bavinck, M. (2005). Understanding fi sheries con fl icts in the South – A legal pluralist perspective.
Society and Natural Resources, 18(9), 805–820.
Bavinck, M., & Chuenpagdee, R. (2005). Current principles. In J. Kooima, M. Bavinck, S. Jentoft,
R. Pullin (Eds.), Fish for life: Interactive governance for fi sheries (pp. 245–264). Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press.