Polycentric pioneers? Explaining variations in governance models and their impacts on local climate change policy

多中心先驱？

• 批准号: ES/S014500/1
• 负责人: Paul Tobin
• 金额: $ 30.51万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FS014500%2F1
• 关键词: Polycentric; pioneers; Explaining; variations; governance

The science behind climate change has been established, and now the mitigation of climate change has become a political puzzle. We need to act quickly to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, and so this project is designed to find and then share effective policy solutions that can be used across society. Until very recently, attempted solutions for climate change were 'top down': for example, the United Nations organised annual conferences, and those countries responsible for producing the most greenhouse gases dominated these negotiations. However, this approach for dealing with climate change has failed to generate effective change quickly enough, and academics are looking for new governance solutions for this most pressing and significant of issues. Increasingly, scholars argue that we need to be improving policy-making the local level, and empowering a wide range of people take a lead in responding to climate change. In particular, they argue we need 'polycentric governance'. Polycentric governance involves businesses, NGOs and government agencies working independently of each other, while also overlapping and coordinating with one another, as part of complex, multi-level networks. The outcome should be that no individual group or organisation is solely responsible for mitigating climate change, and so every 'node' in the network is encouraged to fulfil its part without fearing being exploited by others. Yet, despite growing support amongst academics for polycentric governance, there is limited research into how these networks can be created, or whether they even have a positive impact in mitigating climate change. This research project seeks to address that lack of knowledge by pursuing two research objectives. First, the project will explain how and why polycentric models are developed, by analysing three key factors: the role of the European Union; the impact of a country's national governance model, such as the presence of federalism; and a city's status as a country's capital or not. To do so, the project will map out the interconnecting networks of different groups and individuals within six city regions in Germany, Sweden and the UK. These three countries were similarly ambitious towards climate change in the early 2010s, and the six city regions have been carefully selected to be as similar as possible, while also showing differences in the three key factors under exploration. Second, the project will then determine how and why these different city regions' polycentric practices affect the creation of ambitious climate change policies. This goal will be achieved by analysing the climate policy documents of a wide range of actors within each city region, as well as interviewing key individuals. Here, a useful extra outcome of the research will be the ability to explore how changes in the UK's political landscape during the Brexit negotiations have influenced local climate change policy too. Having then analysed how and why different governance models shape the ambitiousness of local climate policy, guidance will be created for policy-makers across Western Europe. This advice will inform policy-makers about which types of governance initiatives are most effective for helping to create more ambitious climate policy. The advice will seek to improve climate policy at the local level, and it will be designed with multiple audiences in mind, depending on whether policy-makers and practitioners work at the local, national or European level. As a result, this project aims to help every level of governance to be more effective at mitigating climate change. Finally, this project will also seek to inform and empower citizens about how they can effect change themselves, by sharing the results of the study via a wide range of media outlets, pitching a TV programme on the topic, and by giving several public lectures.

气候变化背后的科学已经建立，现在减缓气候变化已经成为一个政治难题。我们需要迅速采取行动，减轻气候变化的最严重影响，因此，这个项目旨在寻找并分享可在全社会使用的有效政策解决方案。直到最近，气候变化的解决方案都是“自上而下”的：例如，联合国组织了年度会议，而那些负责产生最多温室气体的国家主导了这些谈判。然而，这种应对气候变化的方法未能足够快地产生有效的变化，学者们正在为这个最紧迫和最重要的问题寻找新的治理解决方案。越来越多的学者认为，我们需要改善地方一级的政策制定，并授权广大人民带头应对气候变化。特别是，他们认为我们需要“多中心治理”。多中心治理涉及企业、非政府组织和政府机构相互独立工作，同时也相互重叠和协调，作为复杂的多层次网络的一部分。其结果应该是，没有任何一个团体或组织单独负责减缓气候变化，因此鼓励网络中的每个“节点”履行自己的职责，而不必担心被其他人利用。然而，尽管学术界越来越多地支持多中心治理，但对于如何创建这些网络，或者它们是否对减缓气候变化产生积极影响的研究有限。本研究项目旨在通过追求两个研究目标来解决知识的缺乏。首先，该项目将通过分析以下三个关键因素，解释如何以及为何制定多中心模式：欧洲联盟的作用;一个国家的国家治理模式的影响，如联邦制的存在;以及一个城市是否作为一个国家的首都。为此，该项目将绘制出德国、瑞典和英国六个城市地区内不同群体和个人的互联网络。这三个国家在2010年代初对气候变化有着类似的雄心，六个城市地区经过精心挑选，尽可能相似，同时也显示出正在探索的三个关键因素的差异。其次，该项目将确定这些不同城市地区的多中心做法如何以及为什么会影响雄心勃勃的气候变化政策的制定。这一目标将通过分析每个城市地区范围广泛的行为者的气候政策文件以及采访关键人物来实现。在这里，研究的一个有用的额外成果将是探索英国脱欧谈判期间英国政治格局的变化如何影响当地气候变化政策的能力。然后分析了不同的治理模式如何以及为什么会塑造当地气候政策的雄心，将为西欧的政策制定者提供指导。这些建议将告知政策制定者哪些类型的治理举措对帮助制定更雄心勃勃的气候政策最有效。咨询意见将寻求改善地方一级的气候政策，并将根据决策者和从业人员是在地方、国家还是欧洲一级工作，考虑到多个受众。因此，该项目旨在帮助各级政府更有效地减缓气候变化。最后，该项目还将通过广泛的媒体渠道分享研究结果，推出关于这一主题的电视节目，并举办几次公开讲座，向公民宣传他们如何能够自己实现变革，并增强他们的权能。

项目成果

The Rise of Anti-Net Zero Populism in the UK: Comparing Rhetorical Strategies for Climate Policy Dismantling

英国反净零民粹主义的兴起：气候政策拆除的修辞策略比较

• DOI: 10.1080/13876988.2023.2242799
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Research and Practice
• 作者: Paterson M

Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics

欧盟气候变化政策和政治手册

• DOI: 10.4337/9781789906981.00025
• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Tobin P

Climate Governance across the Globe: Pioneers, Leaders and Followers

全球气候治理：先驱者、领导者和追随者

• 发表时间: 2021
• 作者: Tobin, P.

Climate Governance Antagonisms: Policy Stability and Repoliticization

气候治理的对抗：政策稳定性和再政治化

• DOI: 10.1162/glep_a_00647
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Global Environmental Politics
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Paterson M

"The religions are engaging: tick, well done": the invisibilization and instrumentalization of Muslim climate intermediaries

“宗教很有吸引力：勾选，干得好”：穆斯林气候中介机构的隐形化和工具化

• DOI: 10.1080/01442872.2023.2186385
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Policy Studies
• 影响因子: 2.2
• 作者: Tobin P