Intergovernmental Relations and Climate Change Policy

核心研究问题：2007年至2022年间，政府间关系如何影响多层次系统中的气候变化政策？政府间关系（IGR）可以定义为多层次系统中不同政府之间的关系，包括促进政府间互动的过程和制度。近年来，人们对气候变化的关注有所增加，人们也越来越认识到，各级政府需要采取雄心勃勃的行动，以减轻最严重的后果，并实施适当的适应措施。因此，气候变化政策在政府间论坛中获得了更突出的地位。人们认为，IGR在解释多层级国家的气候变化政策立场方面发挥着重要作用，因为这一政策领域的特点往往是国内权威在很大程度上重叠。然而，支持igr -气候变化政策关联主张的实证研究数量有限。我的项目旨在通过特别关注政党和宪法安排的作用来解释IGR如何影响多层次州的气候变化政策。其他重要变量包括制度化程度和政府间相互作用的主要方向。该项目还考虑了与气候变化适应政策相比，IGR对气候变化缓解政策的意义是否不同。大多数关于IGR的研究关注的是联邦国家内部的正式关系。通过系统地分析非正式和正式的IGR，包括政府间理事会（IGCs），并通过比较联邦、准联邦和下放的单一制国家之间的气候变化政策IGR，可以解决文献中的这些差距。该项目采用半结构化访谈、政策文件、问卷调查数据和官方统计数据，设计为趋同比较案例研究。本文选择了三个案例，每个案例都包括对中央政府和一个地方政府的政策分析：首先是英国和威尔士政府；其次是西班牙和加泰罗尼亚政府；第三，比利时和佛兰德政府。众所周知，在这些情况下，政府间冲突是突出的，因此调查的一个重要部分涉及审查导致政府间冲突高发生率的一些条件，这些条件反过来又影响气候变化政策。在案例研究章节之后，最重要的发现将与其他文献中的发现进行比较和讨论。该项目将通过对不同宪法背景的分析，为比较联邦制的文献做出贡献，其实证研究结果也将与多层次治理和环境联邦制的文献相关。结论部分将概述改善IGR气候变化政策实践的政策建议和进一步研究的潜在领域。

Central Research Question: How do intergovernmental relations affect climate change policy in multi-level systems between 2007 and 2022?Intergovernmental relations (IGR) could be defined as the relations between different governments within multi-level systems, including the processes and institutions that facilitate intergovernmental interaction. Concerns over climate change have increased in recent years and it is also increasingly recognized that ambitious action is required by all levels of governments to mitigate the most severe consequences and to implement appropriate adaptation measures. As such, climate change policy has gained a more prominent presence within intergovernmental forums. It is thought that IGR has a significant role in explaining climate change policy positions within multilevel states as this policy area is often characterised by a significant degree of overlapping in domestic authority. However, empirical research to support claims on IGR-climate change policy linkages are limited in volume. My project seeks to explain how IGR effects climate change policy in multilevel states by focusing especially on the role of political parties and constitutional arrangements. Other significant variables include the degree of institutionalisation and the predominant direction of intergovernmental interaction. The project also considers whether the significance of IGR is different for climate change mitigation policies compared to climate change adaptation policies. The majority of research on IGR is concerned with formal relations within federated states. These gaps within the literature will be addressed by systematically analysing both informal and formal IGR, including Intergovernmental Councils (IGCs) and by comparing IGR on climate change policy between federal, quasi federal and devolved unitary states. The project is designed as a convergent comparative case study, using semi-structured interviews, policy documents, questionnaire data and official statistics. Three cases are selected, each including a policy analysis of the central government and one sub-state government: first, the UK and Welsh governments; second, the Spanish and Catalan governments; and third, the Belgian and Flemish governments. Intergovernmental conflicts are known to be prominent in these cases, thus an important part of the inquiry involves an examination into some of the conditions that have contributed towards a high occurrence of intergovernmental conflict that in turn effects climate change policy. Following the case study chapters the most significant findings will be discussed comparatively and in relation to findings in other literatures. This project will contribute towards the literature of comparative federalism by applying analysis across different constitutional contexts and the empirical findings will also be of relevance to the literatures of multi-level governance and environmental federalism. Policy recommendations for improving practices of IGR for climate change policy and potential areas for further research will be outlined in the conclusion.