Research questions

The central goal of our research is to identify the lessons provided by the World Commission on Dams as an experiment in global governance at the contentious intersection of development, environment and justice. Our work is guided by four specific questions:

1. How effective was the WCD in operationalizing its commitment to new norms of good governance in its structure and functioning?
2. How did the WCD process, structured around emerging norms of governance, contribute to the Commission’s progress toward fulfilling its mandate?
3. To what degree were Southern perspectives and realities incorporated in the work of the Commission?
4. How were emerging norms of global governance interpreted, questioned, reinforced or undermined in the work of the Commission?

Research methods
Our research team interviewed key participants in the WCD process: 10 Commissioners, all Senior Advisors at the Secretariat, representatives of almost all 66 member organizations of the Forum, and various consultants and donors of the WCD. We also sought the views of dam-related stakeholders who were not formally involved in the WCD process.

The scope of the WCD’s workplan was so great that it was not possible or even desirable to assess all elements of the program in depth. Therefore we tried to assess the stakeholder debates and management challenges of a sampled subset of the WCD’s work program. For instance, we analyzed the process by which several case studies and thematic reviews were undertaken, and we accessed a limited range of archival material at the Secretariat. We attended regional consultations and country case study meetings of the WCD, and undertook a comprehensive analysis of media coverage of the WCD's work.