Mazzucato, Mariana; Kühn von Burgsdorff, Luca; (2025) A Mission-Oriented Approach to Governing Our Global Water Challenges and Opportunities. (UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) Policy Brief 31). UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP): London, UK.

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Abstract

The hydrological cycle is out of balance. At the same time, governments have mismanaged water resources for decades, contributing to widespread water scarcity, pollution, and inequity. The Global Commission on the Economics of Water emphasizes the need to protect the Earth's hydrological cycle as a global common good, requiring systemic, collective, and economywide action. This policy brief highlights the Commission's recommendation to adopt five missions addressing the global water crisis: food systems, natural habitats, circular economy, water efficiency, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). It explores four pillars critical for governments to design, develop, and deliver mission-oriented policies that target the most pressing water challenges: mission-oriented policy design, outcomes-oriented tools and institutions, symbiotic partnerships, and dynamic public sector capabilities. To ensure that justice is at the centre of our response to the global water crisis, this paper recommends that the principles of efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability (the 3Es) cut across all water missions.

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