Although knowledge networks can be non-hierarchical, representative and democratic spaces to exchange information and determine policies, (Stein, Janice Gross et al., 2001; Stone, 2000) an analysis of the World Water Council (WWC) and its World Water Fora (WWF) reveals that knowledge networks can also reinforce power dynamics and exclude particular voices. This research contributes to the development of critical approaches to knowledge network research. In addition to exploring how global actors are shaping international, national and local policies, analysis of the relationships of global actors also reveals unique effects on actors, contexts, policies and power relations.

This research explores the role of the two largest water MNCs (Suez and Veolia) in the WWC. The main research questions are:

1. (How) do Suez and Veolia’s participation in the WWC influence international trade policies concerning water provision?
2. If they play a role in influencing trade policies, what are the implications of their influence?

A social constructivist approach unfolds how Suez and Veolia’s high-level positions in the WWC enable them to influence the formation of problems and policies. Discourse analysis assists in revealing why and how Suez and Veolia’s privatization policies succeed at representing the “consensus” of the WWC and WWF despite opposition from some NGOs, indigenous communities and other global actors. Using a feminist political ecology perspective, this research reveals how power is intimately linked to water. (Rocheleau, Thomas-Slayter, & Wangari, 1996; Swyngedouw, 2004; Thomas-Slayter, Wangari, & Rocheleau, 1996).

This thesis argues that Suez and Veolia’s participation in the WWC has a significant impact on (re)producing power dynamics because privatizing water affects the conceptualization of water and patterns of economic, political and social inclusion and exclusion. The linkages that knowledge networks such as the WWC make among global actors transcend national and other boundaries yet shapes local issues such as access to resources, political participation and the conceptualization of water. Therefore, theoretical approaches to knowledge networks must include a focus on contesting discourses, access to resources and political channels, and power dynamics.