Suhardiman D. auteur aut IRD Giordano M. auteur aut IRD Molle François auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Hydropower development is occurring at a rapid, though controversial, pace in the Mekong. We highlight the role of scientific assessment in shaping the Mekong hydropower debate, taking the strategic environmental assessment of the twelve planned mainstream dams as a case study. While environmental impact assessments are designed as science-based decision-making tools, they have often been criticized in practice as a political means to justify already made development decisions. In this case we demonstrate how the Mekong River Commission, operating in a constrained political environment, has instead used environmental impact assessment as a way of providing political space and opening the discussion on dams to a wider public. The main argument of this paper is that scientific assessment can be politically maneuvered to shape governance alliances at both national and transboundary levels, and to a certain extent democratize decision-making processes. specialized POLITIQUE DE DEVELOPPEMENT EXPLOITATION DES RESSOURCES NATURELLES AMENAGEMENT HYDROELECTRIQUE BARRAGE RESSOURCES EN EAU GESTION GOUVERNANCE IMPACT SUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT RELATION SCIENCE SOCIETE EXPERTISE SCIENTIFIQUE MEKONG BASSIN LAOS CAMBODGE VIET NAM THAILANDE 095DEVEL 062EVAEAU01 33 1 199-217 2015 0263-774X https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063590 10.1068/c11191 0263-774X [F B010063590] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063590 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/depot/2015-03-09/010063590.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2015-03-09 2015-06-23 fdi:010063590 fre