Principled Pragmatism in Water Resources Research: An Historical and Philosophical Perspective on Studies in South Asia and Beyond

Abstract Principled pragmatism is a broad and expanding approach to water policy research, especially in the South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. These studies advocate policies that are both pragmatic, in the ordinary language sense of the term, and principled. However, our review found that principled pragmatism research has not drawn on the philosophical pragmatism of John Dewey and others, which has been influential across many fields of social and environmental science, including water resources research. We review the influence of philosophical pragmatism on water resources research, notably that of geographer Gilbert F. White, and survey its expanding influence in water and environmental studies. With this perspective on philosophical pragmatism, we retrace the historical origins and development of principled pragmatism in World Bank water studies that advocated policies that are jointly practical and principled, with major applications in India and Pakistan. We then turn to research on water diplomacy led by Tufts University, which developed a strong conceptual framework for principled pragmatism, and a sophisticated application in Bangladesh. We show how that approach can be further strengthened by shifting from its distinction between principles and pragmatism to the philosophical argument that pragmatism is inherently and dynamically principled. The final section shows that this philosophical perspective has deep historical roots in South Asian thought and practice, exemplified by three early 20th century South Asian leaders—B.R. Ambedkar (Bombay), Muhammad Iqbal (Punjab), and Rabindranath Tagore (Bengal)—whose work suggests further avenues for principled pragmatism in water resources research.