Water-Energy-Food Nexus-Commonalities and Differences in the United States and Europe

This chapter synthesizes the contributions of Part 1 and Part 2 of this volume and sets the stage for Part 3. Institutional analysis is applied to summarize the lessons about water management from the preceding chapters, identifying commonalities and differences in the United States and in Europe. A number of these chapters discussed the ways that institutions in the food-energy-water nexus function during extreme events such as droughts when competition for water resources is highest, revealing various interactions and feedbacks. While the details vary, a recurring theme is that existing institutions fail to absorb all the system stresses during extreme events. As one explanation of this lack institutional resilience, it is argued that water has a special set of inherent characteristics that set it apart from other natural resources. The complex properties of water resources require management approaches that are situational, multifaceted, and adaptive. Opportunities and barriers for institutional innovations are briefly discussed.