Not about knowledge, but numbers? An examination of the notion of stakeholder participation and the governance of water as a 'scarce resource' in global and national policy discourses on development and security

This paper draws on case study material from Zimbabwe to examine the nexus between ædevelopment expertiseÆ on water management and technological innovation, and the recent emphasis in development on local participation. An examination is made of the ways in which water as a scarce resource has featured in global and national policy discourses, and the attention paid to the governance of water and stakeholder participation. An examination is also undertaken against the backdrop of recent conceptual work on science, technology and risk, and draws connections between the local, national, and international environmental security.