Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Nexus and nexuses

2. A critique of the global hegemonic nexus narratives

3. Integration for whom? Learning from the past

4. The knowledge nexus and transdisciplinarity

5. Hybrid governance and grounding the nexus

6. Nexus rights and justice

7. Ethics and the nexus

8. Conclusion: ‘Democratising’ the nexus

About the Author

Jeremy Allouche is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK, and a member of the ESRC-funded STEPS Centre.

Carl Middleton is Director of the Center of Excellence in Resource Politics for Social Development in the Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS) at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Dipak Gyawali is Pragya (Academician) of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology and was Nepal’s Minister of Water Resources in 2002/2003. He conducts interdisciplinary research at the interface of technology and society, mostly from the perspectives of Cultural Theory.

Reviews

"Beyond the commonplace recognition that the 'nexus' conceptual basis is not new and that integrative imperatives already featured in IWRM, this book further examines the underbelly of the beast and convincingly exposes the political underpinnings of a concept presented as a-political and 'manageable' through integrative tools, expert modeling, bureaucratic reforms and rational efficiency-driven thinking. It reveals the underlying business imperatives and green economy logics, traces the global diffusion of the concept, and emphasizes that issues of distributional justice, knowledge production and democratization of governance need to take center stage if the concept is to be transformative rather than supporting the status quo. An excellent reading for all water students and scholars interested in deciphering the word of water concepts and the interests and values that undergird them." — Francois Molle, Editor of Water Alternatives"We frequently hear of the nexus - but what does this mean, what does it entail, and where to begin? To such questions, Allouche offers a critical guide. Careful to consider complexities and uncertainties, the theoretical discussion coupled with multi-sited case studies, offers a compelling treatment. Readers wanting to know more of the concept, including political economic and equity implications, will find reading the book to be time well spent." — Leila M Harris, University of British Columbia, Canada"Skilfully delving into the nuances of the nexus approach, the authors trace and explain the emergence of the ‘new’ concepts of nexus – between water, food, energy, environment and more. Unravelling the tangle of nexus-invoking discourses, motivations and practices yields a valuable, sense-making analysis." — John Dore, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade"The book does a great job at showing how a water-energy-food nexus approach emphasises demand-led technological and market solutions, downplays supply-side limits, promotes a technical and supposedly apolitical treatment of trade-offs, and largely ignores the political dimensions that shape control over, and access to, resources." — Molle, F. 2019. Review of "The water-food-energy nexus. Power, politics and Justice", Earthscan, 2018, by Allouche, J.; Middleton, C. and Gyawali, D., Water Alternatives, http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/boh/item/19-nexus