Future Institutions? On the evolution in Spanish institutions from policy takers to policy makers

The chapter analyses the main institutional framework in Spain for the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the context of its 'European equivalent', the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive. It reflects on the Spanish institutional set up for IWRM, and how far it fits the IWRM paradigm. The second part of the chapter however questions elements of the IWRM paradigm, along with the examination of the underlying assumptions and argues for disruptive institutional innovation in terms of water resources management to deal with the great acceleration of the twenty-first century in terms of resources use and globalization and the proposed River Basin Organizations (RBAs) of the future.