From Multi-level Governance to Scalar Politics: Water Community Networks Challenging Neo-Extractivist Governmental Institutions in Ecuador

Abstract

The multi-level governance (MLG) framework emerged as a new approach to analyze the fragmented nature of socio-ecological systems, such as water resources. However, three main constraints have been identified regarding the concept: the reproduction of a cultural bias from the European perspective masking the multiple interpretations on water resources, the normative approach postulating the same structures without consideration of local contexts, and the ignorance of power relations. This chapter aims to further address the blind spots of the MLG framework through the case study of the national and transnational water community networks in Ecuador. It seeks to understand how water community networks mobilize scalar politics in order to influence water governance institutions shaped by the neo-extractivist strategies of the central State.