| Methodological approach | Application to research | Rationale of use | Specific methods |
| Single case study | Overall research program |
- Exploratory character of whole research
program - Representative case of pathological WSES governed through a RIR, hence informative for other pathological systems - Generalization of results to theory, not to populations (i.e., analytical generalization) - Instrumental for the normative goal of elaborating policy-relevant recommendations - Replication if evidence is found in other cases |
Embedded design (Yin 2008): - Case study: Doñana WSES - Context: Guadalquivir Estuary - Three subunits of analysis: the hydro-ecological system (not analyzed here) and the institutional regimes for WRM and WC (the focus of the present analysis) |
| Theoretical framework development | Overall research program. Circumscribed here to the historical analysis |
- Propositional conceptualization of RIR, liable to
empirical evaluation - Guide analysis and inform interpretations, departing from a reasoned selection of existing theory - Hypotheses derived deductively provide framework with explanatory power - Ground the inquiry in updated theory, allows for a characterization of initial institutional conditions and potential transitions |
Inductive and deductive inference procedures (see Thelen 1999 for a description of the use of both procedures in different institutionalism disciplines; Campbell and Pedersen 2001 for the application of both procedures in several case studies using institutional analysis; Holling and Allen 2002 for a depiction of “adaptive inference” in ecology, a method that employs both procedures at different stages of empirical evidence evaluation) |
| Systems narrative | Historical analysis |
Instrumental for: - Understanding and describing the history and genesis of the institutional regimes - Addressing and embracing (vs. rejecting) the inherent complexity of WSES - Assessing theoretical framework applicability - Evaluating h1 - Informing future analyses of current institutional configuration |
- Data collection and categorization through directed,
deductive content analysis (see, e.g., Hsieh and Shannon
2005) - Data analysis and interpretation (see e.g., Allison and Hobbs 2004, Beier et al. 2009, for different approaches to constructing a systems narrative) |
| Action research | Overall research program. Informed by the historical analysis |
Instrumental for: - Introducing new modes of actor involvement and collaborative understanding of current institutional problems - Facilitating the long-term transition towards more adaptive and flexible institutional regimes - Gathering qualitative data for future analyses of current institutional configuration (e.g., management narratives) |
We employed the following methods (see Appendix 2 for a
detailed description): - Actor identification (see e.g., Mostert 2006) - Semi-structured, open-ended interviews (Robson 2002) - Workshops including: thematic talks, facilitated discussion, and Group Model Building (Vennix 1996) and Card Sorting (Hare and Pahl-Wostl 2002) methods in focus groups |