This book investigates a corpus of royal inscriptions and literary texts, with special emphasis on those that are mythological and biblical, stretching over several millennia from the early days of Sumer to the Biblical period, in order to determine the ways in which the concept of water was used, in particular the way it functions in the political and theological ideology of the time. Three literary motifs are the object of a careful study : the crossing of water, the flood and the water of abundance. Though their study shows diversity in evolution, transmission and reception, it appears that their function is common at the heart of the Mesopotamian political theology of royal mediation.

Conference report on agricultural policies for water supply and water conservation in Africa - analyses the decision making process, role of France and UNESCO in water management, legal aspects and institutional framework for resources development, relations between governments and peasant farmers, etc.; examines obstacles and issues in popular participation in agricultural development; discusses approaches by various scientists; includes 16 case studies. Bibliographys, diagrams, illustrations, maps, statistical tables.

Irrigation Development in Africa: Lessons of Experience is a veritable encyclopedia of information on African irrigation. It describes a significant subset of the African irrigation experience, from traditional flood recession systems to large projects like Gezira and Bura.

Ella Hermon, Avant-propos. Concepts et paradigmes ; Luigi Capogrossi Colognesi, Pr�face. Acque, terre e paesaggi umani nella storia di Roma; A. Trevor Hodge, Introduction. Reflections on Water; i. aspects de gestion int�gr�e de leau: I.1. Pratiques de la gestion int�gr�e de leau; Mich�le Brunet, La gestion de leau en milieu urbain et rural � D�los dans lAntiquit�; Monique Clavel-L�veque, Gestion de leau et d�veloppement de la colonie de B�ziers; dans la plaine littorale; Sophie Collin-Bouffier, Organisation des territoires grecs antiques et gestion de leau; H�le`ne Dessales, Le prix de leau dans lhabitat romain: une �tude des modes de gestion; � Pomp�i; Maurizio Gualtieri, The Water Supply System of a Senatorial Estate in Southern Italy; (Oppido Lucano, PZ); Alberto Prieto, Les guerres de leau dans lHispanie romaine; I.2. La gestion des risques environnementaux : C�cile Allinne, L�volution du climat � l�poque romaine en M�diterran�e occidentale:; aper�u historiographique et nouvelles approches; Robert Bedon, Les villes des Trois Gaules et leur recherche dune proximit� de leau:; gestion des atouts et des difficult�s cr��es par la pr�sence de rivi�res et de mar�cages; Jean-Fran�ois Berger, �tude g�oarch�ologique des r�seaux hydrauliques romains de; Gaule Narbonnaise (haute et moyenne vall�e du Rh�ne): apports � la gestion des; ressources en eau et � lhistoire agraire antique; Rita Compatangelo-Soussignan, La lagune-mar�cage de Salapia / Siponte (Pouilles,; Italie) � l�poque romaine: modifications environnementales et r�ponses anthropiques; Philippe Leveau, Les inondations du Tibre � Rome: politiques publiques et variations; climatiques � l�poque romaine; Marinella Pasquinucci, Water Management Practices and Risk Management in North; Etruria (Archaic Period to Late Antiquity): A Few Remarks; ii. savoirs traditionnels : ii.1. Usages �conomiques et conflits dusage : Pascal Arnaud, Conscience de limpact environnemental et choix dam�nagements ; concurrentiels des cours deau chez les auteurs anciens; Raffaella Biundo, La gestion publique de leau: finances municipales et centre du pouvoir; � l�poque imp�riale; Geoffrey Kron, Reconstructing the Techniques and Potential Productivity of Roman; Aquaculture in the Light of Recent Research and Practice; Philippe Leveau, Les aqueducs de la colonie romaine dArles et lexploitation des eaux souterraines (Ground Water): conflits dusage, changements dutilisation des eaux,; �volution des environnements dans un massif karstique; Elio Lo Cascio and Paolo Malanima, Mechanical Energy and Water Power in Europe:; A Long Stability ?; Almudena Orejas, Mar�a Ruiz del �rbol et F.-Javier Sanchez-Palencia, La gestion; int�gr�e de leau dans les zones mini�res du nord-ouest dHispania; Stefania Quilici Gigli, The Management of the Water Regime in Agrarian Contexts in; Central Italy; ii.2. Aspects juridiques : Pierre Jaillette et Francesca Reduzzi Merola, Leau � usage agricole dans la; l�gislation romaine de l�poque tardive: du Code Th�odosien au Code Justinien; Dennis Kehoe, Economics and the Law of Water Rights in the Roman Empire; Jean Peyras, La gestion int�gr�e de leau dans lAntiquit� tardive: la r�ception du droit; romain dans lAfrique Mineure; Robert H. Rodgers, Ex rei publicae utilitate: Legal Issues Concerning Maintenance of; the Aqueducts at Rome; Francesco Salerno, Opus manu factum, natura agri et lutilisation de leau de pluie; dans la jurisprudence romaine; conclusion : Luigi Labruna, Rome et le droit de lenvironnement; Ella Hermon, LEmpire romain: un paradigme interpr�tatif ?

"This excellent study combines considerable institutional and policy detail with an assured analysis of government and private sector agent interactions." - Modern and Contemporary France "One of the main conclusions the reader of [this] book can draw is that the best specialists of French contemporary political movements come from the Anglo-Saxon academic world." - H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews OnLine "... a most welcome contribution to [the development of environmental policy] ... Overall, this book is well worth buying, both from an individual and from an institutional perspective. It is excellent value for money and an excellent source of information on environmental policy development and practice that allows one's knowledge to be pushed beyond the traditional Anglo-American axis." - Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy "[A] solid, insightful, fair-minded survey of French environmental policies" - Choice Drawing on an extensive range of political, legal and sociological materials, the author presents and evaluates environmental policy-making in France at a time when environmental problems are growing in complexity and gravity. He highlights the range of inputs to the policy process - including popular movements, green parties, interest group representation, EU legislation and international treaties - and evaluates the diverse nature of the outcomes which lead him to conclude that because new developments involve not only changes in policy content but also adaptation of policy style, environmental demands are progressively changing the shape of politics itself.

Globalized Water presents a compilation of voices that forms a unique scientific exploration of contemporary water management models and governance issues. The book describes the water paradox—how a local resource has become a global product—and the implications of this in how we identify challenges and make policy in the water sector. Over the last 20 years, the foundations of local and national water systems have been rocked by a wave of changes. The authors in this book, experts in a wide range of disciplines, address the resulting debates and issues: water as a commodity and patrimony, technological rent, liberalization and privatization, the continuing evolution of water management and policy at the European level, decision making and stakeholder participation, conflict and consensus, and the inevitable growth of counterpowers at the local and international levels, promoted by the advocates of sustainable development. The selected case studies are from Europe (primarily France but also Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Portugal), Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia), the United States, Lebanon, and India. From this diverse collection of comparative perspectives and research methods, Globalized Water seeks to advance interdisciplinary research, contributing to a new and dynamic role for social sciences and governance on water.