Collective Learning through Climate Knowledge Systems: the Case of South Africa

Abstract

Climate knowledge systems capture how collective learning takes place in climate governance. The pragmatic-constructivist concept advances Emanuel Adler's cognitive evolution approach. It shows how different types of knowledge, communities of practice, power and feedback-loops connect systematically and influence processes of change in domestic climate governance. This paper develops the concept and tests two hypotheses in an exploratory way for the case of South Africa, (1) on the existence and impact of the knowledge system and (2) on the relevance of the knowledge type ‘pragmatic knowledge’ for advancing climate governance. The study has a mixed-methods design, drawing on data from an expert survey and a series of semi-structured interviews. The results confirm the existence of a knowledge system in South Africa that revolves around a small number of communities of practice. It has begun to provide a dynamic order and advances learning and change, but as yet communities of practice lack power to widely institutionalize new knowledge and practices.