Issues of knowledge and expertise in policy arrangements: An exploratory case study of the dynamic preservation approach to coastal management

Since 1990, the Dutch government applies the approach of dynamic preservation to coastal management. One of the characteristics of this approach is that, compared to the old approach, more room is allowed for natural dynamic movement of sand, in order to preserve the coastline, increase coastal resilience and improve ecological values in coastal zones. This paper presents an exploratory case study on this dynamic approach to coastal management. The case study focuses on the way the approach has developed over the years, and on the issues concerning knowledge and expertise of different groups of actors involved in the policy process. As an analytical framework, the concept of policy arrangements is combined with theories and concepts of Science and Technology Studies (STS). Two controversies concerning dynamic preservation are explored: one in which NGO’s problematized the ecological effects of beach nourishment, the other involving public resistance on the Dutch Wadden Islands against dynamic coastal management. In both controversies, issues are identified concerning the roles and problems of knowledge and expertise in coastal governance, which provide promising directions for further research. These include the role of policy discourses as boundary objects, framings of public knowledge, and processes of boundary work in policy coalitions.