While diffusion patterns are quite well understood in the context of the Global North, diffusion research has only been applied to a limited extent to investigate how policies spread across developing countries. In this article, we therefore analyze the diffusion patterns of plastic bag bans and plastic bag taxes in the Global South and Global North to contribute to the further refinement of diffusion theory by specifically addressing the under-researched Global South. Moreover, with an in-depth investigation of plastic bag policies through the lens of diffusion research, the article provides insights in the rather new and still underexplored policy field of plastic pollution. We find that industrialized countries have mostly adopted plastic bag taxes, while developing countries have mainly introduced plastic bag bans and thus more stringent legislation than countries in the Global North. So far, the key driving force for the diffusion of plastic bag policies in the Global North has been the global public pressure. In the Global South, where plastic bag litter is much more visible and harmful due to limited waste collection and recycling rates, national problem pressure has been much more influential.

Over the last decade, Europe’s drought management and policy has been characterized by a predominantly crisis-oriented approach. However, the widening gap between the impacts of drought episodes and the ability to prepare, manage and mitigate such droughts has motivated the European Union (EU) to make significant improvements that address drought management using a preventative approach. Keywords European Drought Water Scarcity Drought Policy Drought Management Plans (DMPs) Water Management Perspective These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

During the Digital Decade, the European Union (EU) is facing two important challenges: the green (and energy) transition and the digital transition, which are interconnected with one another. These transitions are of high relevance in several aspects of our life, e.g., in the industry, energy sector, transports, environmental management and our daily life. Digital technologies are particularly emerging also as multi-benefit solution in the water sector, as water is becoming more and more vulnerable to climate change (e.g., droughts and floods) and human activities (e.g., pollution and depletion). Within this context, in this study we assessed some of the several economic benefits that digital solutions can bring to the water sector, with a focus on leakage reduction in water distribution networks, reduction of combined sewer overflows and improvement of hydropower generation and operation. The benefits are calculated for each EU Member State and the UK, and then aggregated at the EU scale. Benefits were quantified in EUR 5.0, 0.14 and 1.7 billion per year (EUR 13.2 per person per year, on average), respectively, excluding environmental and social benefits, which may play a non-negligible role.

Digital solutions are increasingly deployed in water management to support decision-making and to realize the automatization of processes. These solutions have a high potential to foster the sustainability of water management and related fields and thus to contribute to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, more and more digital solutions aim to increase public awareness of specific urban water management aspects. To date, however, evidence is limited on the relevance and effectiveness of such digital solutions and on the effect of the governance settings on the potential of such solutions to raise awareness about the underlying water management issues. This paper aims to provide insights into the findings of two case studies, in Paris and Berlin, investigating the potential of digital solutions to make urban water management visible to the public and thus increase awareness about specific water management issues.

Historically, flooding has dominated the physical and political landscape of Somerset—particularly over the winter of 2013/2014 when a devastating and high profile flood hit the region. However, the area is also sensitive to drought and water scarcity (D&WS) events—with the region being on the precipice of an increasingly severe drought throughout 2010–2012. This paper focuses on the governance of D&WS in Somerset—one of the six regional case studies in ‘The DROP project’ which explores adaptation and resilience to the climate impacts of drought and water scarcity across North West Europe. The project team visited Somerset twice—once in September 2013 following the period of water scarcity, and again in October 2014 after a period of flooding recovery. The study found on the first visit that there were many positive elements to the regional processes of governance for drought and water scarcity in Somerset. These ranged from the types of instruments and measures used; the extent of the relationships and capacities that were increasingly being built to deal with policies and on-the-ground measures for D&WS; and the increasing visibility of the issue of D&WS for the region after a period of extended dryness. The implications for drought governance in the context of flooding recovery are also discussed, particularly engaging with critical geographical literatures on the emotional and political work underpinning water management in the region, and how such processes are underpinned by broader meta-governance failures in the English water sector.

This article presents a practical case of a co-creation process within the framework of the European project Digital Water City (DWC). DWC sought to address the context and challenges of water in Europe with a participatory approach of co-creation as an integral part of Communities of Practice. To situate the concepts within their theoretical framework, the different approximations of co-creation and Communities of Practice (CoPs) are examined. The article analyzes the ways in which they have been used and applied in DWC as well as the ways in which the project has managed to articulate them at different levels. It discusses what has been done so far, whether the objectives related to co-creation have been achieved, what its added value to the project was, and the possible obstacles and successes. In order to gather this information, five case studies are presented and illustrated with a questionnaire that was carried out with the cities, researchers and key innovators. Results show that DWC´s co-creation process succeeded in incorporating end-users’ needs into the development of the digital solutions created, giving them a constructive role in the value-creation process, and bringing together different stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as researchers. It was also highlighted that the process and its format need to be adapted to each specific context and a culture of co-creation needs first to be established. The co-creation process and the DWC CoPs also raise governance questions and create new partnerships.