Publications and Activities

  • Coming soon

Additional materials

  • Coming soon


Contact

Dr. Jeremy Allouche (Institute for Development Studies) and Dr. Carl Middleton (Chulalongkorn University) for further details.



Project Status: Ongoing


Over three decades, almost 100 large dams have been built in the Mekong River basin. Transboundary governance of the Mekong River is now at a transition point. The river’s hydrology, ecology and river-dependent livelihoods are now significantly shaped by large dam operations. The emphasis is shifting from generating anticipatory evidence to inform pre-project decision-making to post IAs monitoring, including of management plans.

Impact Assessments (IAs) have become international best practice promoted through Official Development Assistance and incorporated into national law, including in the Mekong Region. IAs produce ‘anticipatory evidence’ towards the environmental, social, and economic implications of proposed infrastructure projects, informing decision-making on whether and how to proceed. IAs propose responses to the issues identified as ‘management plans’ (MPs) to be implemented.

The objective of this research is to examine the past to present policies, practices and politics of anticipatory evidence and IAs as dams proceeded from planning to operation. Through conceptualizing political ecologies of the Future in the Mekong Basin, the research aims to strengthen evidence-based approaches by undertaking research and creating a space with policy makers, impacted communities and civil society to examine how IAs can be better used in the policy process. We will co-construct approaches for addressing evidence in dam policy making through deep dives, workshops and visual storytelling.

Project partners: