Download Multi-level governance through regional adaptation

Multi-level governance through regional adaptation
partnerships
Anja Bauer and Reinhard Steurer
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Vienna, Austria
Symposium „The Governance of Adaptation“
Amsterdam, 22-23 March 2012
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Orientation
 The Go-Adapt project
 Partnerships as new governance approaches
 Regional Adaptation Partnerships in Canada and the UK
 Scope of collaboration
 Objects of coordination
 Ways of coordination
 Conclusions
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
The GO-ADAPT project
General
 Funded by the Austrian Climate Research Program (ACRP), 1st Call
 Duration: April 2010 - December 2012
 Partner: Austrian Environment Agency
Objective
 Analyse the Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change, i.e. how governments develop and
implement adaptation policies – focus on institutions and governing processes, not on policy contents
Work packages
 Stock taking survey: provides an overview of how 10 OECD countries tackle four governance
challenges that emerge when developing adaptation policies
 Case studies: analyse in how far selected governance approaches contribute to adaptation policies
 Extended literature review: aims to draw lessons from thematically related policy fields that are
characterised by similar governance challenges
 Synthesis of results: compares the case studies (cross-case analysis) in the light of the lessons
drawn from the extended literature review
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Partnerships as
new governance approaches
Partnerships
 Collaborative arrangements in a broadly defined issue area
 Heterogeneous actors from different levels and societal spheres
Expectations
 Effective, inclusive and legitimate mode of societal governing
 Innovative solutions and policies
 Go-Adapt- Survey -> important governance approach – vertical integration, stakeholder participation
Questions
 In which way and to which extent do regional partnerships serve as a coordination mechanism
between different levels (local, regional, national) as well as between societal domains?
 In how far do partnerships contribute to climate change adaptation in terms of adaptive capacities
and adaptation policies?
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Cautious comparison
• Size of the countries and regions: Region ≠ Region
• Political systems: CA=federal state vs. UK=unitary state
• Governance perspective: level between national /federal level and local level
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
The cases
Canada: Regional Adaptation Collaboratives (RAC) UK: Regional Climate Change Partnerships (RCCP)
RAC British Columbia, Prairies RAC, RAC Atlantic
Since 2009 (3 years)
6 collaboratives
RAC-Program by NRCan
Capacitate decision-makers to make policy,
operational, and management changes in response
to CC
 Narrower thematic focus: water management




London Climate Change Partnership, Climate SouthEast, Climate
South West
Since 1999
11 partnerships
By regional bodies, supported by Defra, EA, UKCIP
Investigating and advising on the regional and local
impacts of CC and the development of respective
responses
 Broad thematic focus: tourism, planning, water,
businesses, …




Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Horizontal coordin. between partnerships
Actors & coordination pathes
Vertical coordination
Horizontal coordination
between public & private actors
Horizontal coordination
National
Regional/ Local
Public
NGOs
authorities provincial authorities Agencies
authorities
Research
Industry
RAC BC



Prairies RAC

 +
RAC Atlantic


Climate
SouthEast

Climate
SouthWest
London CCP
+






+




()
+



 +

()
+



 +

+
+



 +
 - Partner: taking part in activities of the partnership
 - Key partner: also involved in steering the partnership
+ - Main target group of the activities/products of the partnership
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Substance of coordination
Vertical coordination in the public domain:
 Sub-national actors co-shape national adaptation policies
 National actors coordinate adaptation policies at regional and local levels
Horizontal coordination between sectors/policy domains
 ….
 …
Horizontal coordination between public and private actors
 ….
 …
Horizontal coordination betwen partnerships
 ….
 …
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Object of coordination - Policies
Local policies and planning
Variety of sectors: infrastructure, housing, land management
Indirectly by guidance and tools, directly involved in planning processes (esp. London)
Regional policies
Strategies (adaptation and other sectors, e.g. water)
Implementation mechanism for adaptation strategy (UK)
National policies
Restricted to adaptation policies
Providing local and regional perspective in the policy formulation
Delivery mechanisms for national adaptation policy
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Object of coordination – Adaptive capacities
Building the knowledge base
Providing guidance
Facilitating networking
Fostering learning
Raising awareness
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Process of coordination
 Means and structures of coordination:
• Management & organizational bodies: Steering Committee, Executive Group, etc.,
• Working groups, projects
• Workshops, trainings, events
• National level: Funding & coordination bodies
 Modes of coordination – vertical:
 CA: to-down, hierarchy transmission of national agenda/policy to regions, via national
programme; close supervision by NRCan
 UK: bottom-up, mutual interaction patterns
 Modes of coordination – horizontal:
In CA & UK: Network governance: voluntary, trust, consensus, identification, little competition
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
Conclusions
 Partnerships as institutional response to the multi-level governance challenge of
adaptation
 Important coordination mechanism for actors between and within levels
 Many activities, mainly capacity building and coordination – the latter also aiming
at influencing policies
 Aim at informing decision-making at various levels
 Distinct patterns of governing through partnerships
 Limited project vs Continuous partnership
 Closed vs open membership
 Government vs led - stakeholder-led
 Driven by national agenda vs driven by regional and local needs
 Hierarchical, one-sided steering vs network mode, two sided relationship
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK
http://www.wiso.boku.ac.at/go-adapt.html
Thank you!
Anja Bauer, Reinhard Steurer
[email protected], [email protected]
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Vienna, Austria
Bauer, Steurer: Regional adaptation partnerships in Canada and the UK