Evidence integration for coherent nexus policy design: a Mediterranean perspective on managing water-energy interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Nexus governance increasingly relies on using data to design policy measures. At the intersection of different policy fields, such as energy and water, data is seen to shed light on complex challenges and have the ability to measure both problems and solutions systematically. In order to analyze the challenges linked to data use in the context of nexus governance, we use a policy design lens and more specifically the perspective of organizational policy instruments to look at the Mediterranean region. We focus on how the design of organizational tools enables or impedes policy coherence and thereby the efficacy of data use. Addressing this question, we find that current efforts in the region largely satisfy one condition of coherence, which is coordination of different stakeholders, but lacks effective integration as the second component of achieving coherence. This implies that the organizational instruments outlined in the current context of the Mediterranean efforts are only a starting point for developments over time that require holistic thinking, strengthening coherence long-term as well as developing capabilities around nexus governance. Given these findings, we identify future research questions around the role of organizational policy instruments in contributing to the coordination of data-driven nexus policy mixes.