Extending community operational research to address institutional aspects of societal problems: Experiences from peri-urban Bangladesh
Author: Sharlene L.Gomes, Leon M.Hermans, Wil A.H.Thissen
Abstract: Community operational research (COR) helps local stakeholders address complex messy problems related to public goods. Many of these problems feature an institutional dimension, whereby institutions refer to rules that structure behaviour and interactions in society. If a sound analysis of this institutional dimension is limited in scope, or even completely absent, then the result is an incomplete problem understanding or a narrower solution space. In this paper, we outline a COR approach for participatory institutional analysis of local problems aimed at enhancing problem formulation and solution-finding efforts...read more
Citation: Gomes, S. L., Hermans, L.M., Thissen, W.A.H. (2017). Extending community operational research to address institutional aspects of societal problems: Experiences from peri-urban Bangladesh. European Journal of Operational Research. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2017.11.007
Institutional function and urbanization in Bangladesh: How peri-urban communities respond to changing environments
Author: Sharlene L. Gomes and Leon M. Hermans
Abstract: Urbanization processes are characterized by rapid change. The peri-urban context represents such a transition zone during urbanization. Here, change creates new realities and new demands, for which existing institutions may no longer suffice. Yet institutions do not change easily, as they typically exist to provide stability and predictability during social interactions. It poses a challenge for peri-urban actors looking for ways to manage their needs within this changing context. In peri-urban Khulna in Bangladesh, this refers to drinking water access. Our research examines how actors in two peri-urban communities in Khulna responded to changes in drinking water access via institutional mechanisms...read more
Citation: Gomes, S. L., & Hermans, L. M. (2017). Institutional Function and Urbanization in Bangladesh: How Peri-urban Communities Respond to Changing Environments. Land Use Policy. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.09.041
Online Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837717300571?via%3Dihub
Institutional approaches to peri-urban research: added value and conceptual approach
Author: Sharlene L. Gomes, Leon M. Hermans
Urbanization creates challenges for water management in an evolving socio-economic context. This is particularly relevant in transitioning peri-urban areas like Khulna, Bangladesh where competing demands have put pressure on local groundwater resources. Users are unable to sufficiently meet their needs through existing institutions. These institutions provide the rules for service provision and act as guidelines for actors to resolve their water related issues. However, the evolving peri-urban context can produce fragmented institutional arrangements...read more
Citation: Gomes, S. L., & Hermans, L. M. (2016). Institutional approaches to peri-urban research: added value and conceptual approach. South Asian Water Studies Journal, 5(3), 103–108.
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