Social Uncertainties in Social-Ecological Systems: Policy dynamics in the Dutch Delta Programme

Abstract: Policy arenas are of major importance for long-term water management. Here, decisions are made. Nevertheless, the uncertainties deriving from the policy arenas have gained very limited attention so far in future studies. We analyse long-term water management in The Netherlands, i.e. the Dutch Delta Programme to identify factors causing shocks and the system’s responses to that. We identified a participatory policy structure as a major shock. The results of this shock-system response analysis result in a means to address explicate and include social uncertainties