South-western USA

This article proposes an approach to environmental conflicts related to urban watermanagement and the policy-making into which they fit, based on the concept of multi-level coalitions. The aim is to understand how water conflicts structure groups, which, in turn, influence policies, based on two hypotheses. A first hypothesis is that water-related policy arises from local conflicts structured around policy groups (coalitions), such as specific issue water prices, installation of a new water catchment system, negotiation of a new commissioning contract, the municipal plan of water, etc. A second hypothesis is that the resulting local orders are embedded at multiple levels of stakes and social practices (territorial, national, international). The main hypothesis is that the environment is subject to multi-level regulation (Hooghe, Marks, 2003), defined as interaction, reinforcing, and colliding rule-making and governance at the international, federal, [regional], and city/local community levels. It emerges from varied top-down, bottom-up, and negotiated processes within the state, among states, among [regions] and cities, and among economic and social interests (Doern & Johnson, 2006). In the frame of the BLUEGRASS project, two types of fieldworks have been selected: initially, territorialized conflicts centring on issues associated with water (distribution , provisioning, catchment, sanitation) in some cities in the Americas (Bolivia, Brazil, France, Mexico, Peru, USA). Secondly, we focus on some international fieldwork (international organizations, European Union, multinational corporations, etc.) where water management paradigms and instruments are constructed and circulate (integrated management, catchment area, participation, delegation of services, etc.). It is therefore a matter of analysing an international water regime orbited by international organizations 1. This article falls under the BLUEGRASS project funded by Agence Nationale de la Recherche Francaise (Struggles for Blue Gold': From Grassroot Mobilizations to International Policies of Environment) coordinated by UMI iGLOBES (CNRS/ University of Arizona), in collaboration with CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement, France), CEMCA (Centre de estudios mexicanos y centro americanos, Mexico, UMIFRE 16, CNRS/MAEE), IFEA (Instituto frances de estudios andinos, Peru UMIFRE 17, CNRS/MAEE) and the Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil).