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This paper aims to understand the national-level policy change that occurred in Brazilian drought management, whereby the policy shifted from reactive crisis management to a drought preparedness approach. We found that a combination of factors supported the policy change, such as the interplay of multiple drought events in different regions of the country, the length and timing of these events, attention paid to the issue, and the role of policy entrepreneurs and political entrepreneurs in connecting solutions to the problem. The analysis is based on the multiple streams framework (MSF), which includes two windows of opportunity: an agenda window, to account for the juncture at which the drought issue appeared on the political and public agenda; and the decision window, when a drought preparedness instrument was designed and adopted. We contribute to the literature on policy change in the wake of a disaster by showing how a long-duration event sparked policy change and by shedding light on the role of creeping crises as focusing events; and we contribute to the MSF literature by analytically distinguishing the features of the agenda and the decision window and by applying the theory to a Latin American context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic water management on a river basin scale requires the inclusion of stakeholders from different sectors and the use of methodologies based on scientifically sound models and techniques, keeping in mind that the power of smaller and larger subgroups of stakeholders should be equal. In this paper, we present an approach to tackle this problem based on two Social Choice Theory (SCT) methods: preferential Borda Count and no-preferential Approval voting method. Two different scenarios of grouping members of the water committee of the San Francisco River Basin in Brazil are simulated, by interested sectors and by interested delegates from the states where the river passes through, five long-term management plans are evaluated and voted in either scenario. Results indicated that if members of the committee demonstrate reasonable competency and consistency while setting their judgments on management plans, the final group decision is the same or similar, regardless the method used. One of the conclusions is also that the voting of small subgroups may have the same power as the voting of a large subgroup in the social choice-based decision-making processes. SCT methods can thus be recommended as an equity framework to empower small groups in selecting long-term water management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an adaptation of the Rural Water Sustainability Index (RWSI) to the Brazilian Amazon region. Policymakers can use this tool to identify areas of water stress and develop actions to guarantee water access to rural communities. Multicriteria analysis and a geographical information system were integrated to incorporate various indicators and produce maps displaying spatial water sustainability levels in rural communities. The RWSI was employed on a case study at 16 rural communities in Santa Luzia do Pará, Pará, Brazil. In total, 380 closed and structured interviews were conducted with people living in the area to collect local information for the model application. The results showed a varied spatial behavior between rural communities of Santa Luzia do Pará, with similarities and differences based on the overall condition of water resources (final index values). Half of the locations had ‘Poor’ or ‘Poor-Medium’ water quality. The remaining sample obtained scores ranging from ‘Medium-Good’ to ‘Good’ water sustainability. RWSI scores varied widely (from 5.7 to 6.5) among the communities. It was also found that localities more distant from surface water presented more water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]