The OECD recently completed the study "Water Governance in the Netherlands: Fit for the Future?" which they were asked to prepare by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and the Association of Dutch Water Authorities. The study looked at the factors influencing Dutch water management, at future risks, and at the level of preparedness for these risks. The general conclusion is a positive one: the Netherlands is described as a global water management expert, which (only) spends 1.26% of its GDP on both qualitative and quantitative water management. The report also indicates that not all Dutch citizens are aware of the fact that water management is of vital importance to their country. It allows people to live in otherwise flooded areas, it has allowed for economic development. The report also mentions the typically Dutch 'poldermodel’, a model of cooperation that leads to coordinated, consensus-based decision-making; crucial for the management of a resource that does not respect human-devised boundaries. http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ienm/documenten-en-publicaties/rapporten/2014/03/17/oecd-studies-on-water-water-governance-in-the-netherlands-fit-for-the-future.html