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PULSE3: A Framework for Analysis

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Paradigms and Theories Influencing Policies in the South African and International Water Sectors

Abstract

In Chap. 2, I analysed three case studies, one on climate change and two on water governance and management, using an analytical framework called PULSE3. I base this framework on the argument that positivism has difficulty investigating and explaining fundamental social process like, ambiguity, paradox, uncertainty and contradiction. The purpose of PULSE3 is to generate a healthier appreciation of the issues faced by policy makers and practitioners engaged in the South African and international water sectors. PULSE3 has three interlinked components: the research paradigm assessment tool; the ethos of analytic eclecticism and the repertoire of theories. I also present the reader with a way to operationalise the ethos of analytic eclecticism and the repertoire of theories. All-in-all, PULSE3 is an analytical tool to assist the research scientist and practitioner to investigate policies, plans, programmes and strategies differently that the traditional cost-benefit analyses uncovered in Chap. 2.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I would like to thank one of the anonymous reviewers for the ideas contained in this paragraph.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Richard Meissner

  2. Centre for Water Resources Research, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa

    Richard Meissner

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Meissner, R. (2017). PULSE3: A Framework for Analysis. In: Paradigms and Theories Influencing Policies in the South African and International Water Sectors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48547-8_4

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