New Faculty Spotlight: Water Governance

When a river or lake flows between two or more states, counties or local governments, it’s up to these entities to determine how to operate the resources from that body of water. Their collaboration is at the heart of research by Tomás Olivier, Ph.D., a new assistant professor of public administration in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

Olivier examines the ways different governments work together to manage shared water resources. Currently, he’s studying five municipalities surrounding the lower Chubut River Valley in Argentina’s Patagonia region, where issues of availability and quality are a common occurrence, Olivier said. In addition, natural resource policies within the region are not coordinated at both the national and subnational level, a problem Olivier said is his focal point.

“I want to learn how these governments create institutions to help guide their joint work that lets them manage their shared water resources,” Olivier said. “This problem is not unique to Patagonia or Argentina, but rather present pretty much everywhere. For example, if counties in Florida determine how to manage large water bodies, like Lake Okeechobee, then those lessons can be used in different environments around the world.”

At FAU, Olivier said he hopes to establish further projects based on his work in Argentina.

Here’s a closer look at Olivier’s research and his journey to FAU.

Q: What was your path before FAU?

A: One of my parents studied political science, so it seemed fitting to follow in those steps and complete my bachelor’s degree in the same field, at the Universidad Católica de Córdoba in Argentina in 2011. To pursue my master’s and postgraduate studies in government and public policy, I chose coming to the U.S. because of the amazing research opportunities the University of Arizona offered.

After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I worked as a postdoctoral scholar in the University of California, Los Angeles Institute of the Environment. My work as a postdoc in LA brought me back to Argentina, where I conducted fieldwork and engaged with conversations with practitioners in northeastern Patagonia. This experience was professionally enriching, but it also allowed me to get to know parts of my own country that I had never visited before. In January of 2020, I moved to South Florida to join the School of Public Administration here at FAU.

Q: What is your research focus?

A: Overall, my focus is on environmental policy. I study how governments, users, and other organizations interact and design policies to govern shared water resources. Water resources, like rivers or lakes, do not tend to be present within a single jurisdiction. These resources usually traverse or cross multiple jurisdictions. Think, for example, the Mississippi river. These resources are shared by multiple states, counties and local governments. To adequately manage these resources, it is necessary that governments act in a coordinated fashion. In many cases, governments also interact with other organizations, such as universities, non-governmental organizations or resource user associations that have access to information or knowledge that governments may not have. With that I combine institutional and social network analysis tools to understand how institutional design affects and it is affected by interactions among policy actors.

Q: What is your goal for this research?

A: My main goal is to help identify what works and what doesn’t in the government of transboundary natural resources. At the end of the day, my hope is that this knowledge can help governments and other organizations incorporate practices that can help them collaborate in a more meaningful fashion.

Q: How will FAU help you in your journey?

A: At FAU, I am in an exceptional position to further my work. Given the university’s connections to local governments in the area and the fact that many of its alumni currently work for these governments I have an array of resources to utilize. In addition, South Florida is a great place to study water governance. The possibilities for studying issues of water quality, quantity and abundance are everywhere. While I do not have any established projects yet in Florida, I am glad to be in this environment so when I am ready the resources I know will be there.

Q. What are some major milestones throughout your career?

A. There have been several. Perhaps one of the most salient for me was when I moved to the U.S. to start my graduate studies. I was very lucky that my parents insisted that I learn English from a young age, but I had never visited the country before. Hopping on a plane to start a new program, in a new university and in a new country was an important milestone for me. It taught me a lot about adapting to new contexts and people, and about interacting with many rich and diverse cultures. It was a mind-opening experience, both personally and professionally.

Q. What are your greatest goals and ambitions you set for yourself?

A. Professionally, I always strive to find the direct and practical implications of my work. I hope that my research can highlight what works and under what circumstances, so that practitioners, governments and other organizations, can imitate those practices. My main goal is to show that collaboration and honoring commitments can go a long way in achieving societal goals and protecting our natural resources.