Evaluating Catchment Partnerships: Avoiding a Watered Down Approach

EasyChair Preprint 1397

Abstract

Catchment management was initially seen as a ‘physical’ need for the integration of water policy issues, but a collaborative approach has more recently emerged as a key feature in the Government’s policy approach to decision making and implementation. Thus voluntary sector organisations (e.g. Rivers Trusts) are charged with leading multi-level partnerships to not only take on significant physical challenges, but to manage the ‘partnership’ that are increasingly seen as central to transformational change.  The paper is contextualised against a ‘Catchment Based Approach’ Partnership in receipt of significant funding, to highlight the challenges of developing and the potential utility of an evaluation framework. We draw on and begin to explore a realist approach evaluation, to focus on the ways in which voluntary organisation led catchment partnerships can create the conditions that make environmental change possible.  In doing so, we also proffer to enhance our understanding of the role of this vital subsector of civil society.

Keyphrases: Catchment management, Voluntary Sector Organisations, environment, evaluation

@booklet{EasyChair:1397,
  author    = {Karen Potter and Carol Jacklin-Jarvis},
  title     = {Evaluating Catchment Partnerships: Avoiding a Watered Down Approach},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 1397},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2019}}