Work

Semantic Governance Under Climate Stress: A Situational Grounded Model of Local Agricultural Irrigation Coordination in Taiwan

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates how local governance actors in northern Taiwan navigate agricultural irrigation coordination under intensifying climate-induced water stress. Although conventional water governance models prioritize structural alignment and centralized integration, they frequently prove to be inadequate under conditions marked by institutional ambiguity and semantic volatility. Focusing on the transitional phase between early drought signaling and the formal implementation of water rationing, this research adopts Situational Grounded Theory (SGT) to examine how actors discursively interpret, negotiate, and adapt to evolving hydrological and institutional constraints. Based on unstructured interviews with irrigation officials, farmers, and public administrators, this study traces how expressions such as “under review” and “adjusting regionally” function as semantic instruments for deferral, alignment, and legitimacy building. These phrases are not merely rhetorical fillers; rather, they operate as situated mechanisms through which actors reposition their roles and recalibrate the meanings of governance. Through iterative coding, semantic clustering, and reflexive mapping grounded in SGT, this study develops the LAWFGS (Local Adaptive Water Governance under Flexible Governance Settings) framework. This tri-axial interpretive framework comprises three interrelated dimensions: (1) governance contexts, which captures the hydrological and institutional phase; (2) actor strategy roles, which reflect how actors adopt and shift their discursive positions; and (3) interpretive flexibility, which denotes the degree of semantic maneuvering exercised in response to governance tensions. The LAWFGS framework offers a situated analytical perspective for understanding how coordination is maintained through meaning-making practices under environmental pressure. The framework emphasizes the relational dynamics through which governance unfolds across shifting and often uncertain contexts.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su17167435

Authors: Tung-Shan Liao, Chia-Hang Ruei

Institution: Yuan Ze University

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896