ABSTRACT

Societies are faced with aggravating environmental challenge. To respond to these challenges with desired institutional changes, we need to understand the processes of institutional stability and change. This paper adds to the literature on institutional dynamics by focusing particularly on the various roles of discourses. It examines the interaction of emerging discourses and pre-existing governance arrangements and their outcomes; not by zooming in on a specific policy concept but by scrutinising the long-term development of a policy domain, namely flood risk governance (FRG) in the Netherlands. Based on an abductive analysis, we created a typology that shows the influence of emerging discourses on stability or change of pre-existing governance arrangements. At the one end of the ideal-typical continuum, the pre-existing arrangement remains relatively unchanged or is even strengthened. At the other end of the continuum, little remains of the pre-existing arrangement, i.e. emerging discourses are institutionalised, substituting existing institutions with new rules or organisations. Between these two extremes, several hybrid types can be identified (e.g. absorbing, merging, layering, weakening). Although there is clear evidence of incremental changes and adjustments in the Dutch FRG, fundamental changes are missing due to the path dependency of the strong hydro-engineering governance arrangement.

摘要

社会面临着日益严峻的环境挑战。为了以期望的制度变革来应对这些挑战，我们需要了解制度稳定和变革的过程。本文通过特别关注话语的各种作用，增加了关于制度动态的文献。它考察了新兴话语和预先存在的治理安排及其结果之间的相互作用；不是通过放大特定的政策概念，而是通过审查政策领域的长期发展，即荷兰的洪水风险治理（FRG）。基于溯因分析，我们创建了一个类型学，它显示了新兴话语对现有治理安排的稳定性或变化的影响。在理想-典型连续体的一端，原有的安排保持相对不变，甚至得到加强。在连续体的另一端，先前存在的安排几乎没有剩余，即新兴话语被制度化，用新规则或组织取代现有制度。在这两个极端之间，可以确定几种混合类型（例如吸收、合并、分层、削弱）。尽管荷兰 FRG 的增量变化和调整有明显的证据，但由于强大的水力工程治理安排的路径依赖性，根本性的变化缺失。在这两个极端之间，可以确定几种混合类型（例如吸收、合并、分层、削弱）。尽管荷兰 FRG 的增量变化和调整有明显的证据，但由于强大的水力工程治理安排的路径依赖性，根本性的变化缺失。在这两个极端之间，可以确定几种混合类型（例如吸收、合并、分层、削弱）。尽管荷兰 FRG 的增量变化和调整有明显的证据，但由于强大的水力工程治理安排的路径依赖性，根本性的变化缺失。