Cross-scale collaboration for adaptation to climate change: a two-mode network analysis of bridging actors in Switzerland

Abstract

Adaptation to the impacts of climate change has become an increasingly important policy field in recent years, but it is complicated due to ambiguous responsibilities. To ensure the coherence of adaptation policies, cooperation is necessary between sectors as well as between administrative levels. As such, fragmentation between both sectors and levels is a huge challenge for the successful formulation and implementation of climate change adaptation policies. Bridging actors who coordinate actions across levels and sectors play an important role in overcoming this challenge. Through means of social network analysis, I investigate which actors occupy key bridging roles in the multi-level and federalist arrangement of Swiss climate change adaptation governance. I analyse a two-mode network of actors and climate change adaptation measures, conducting a complete inventory of all measures and policies carried out in the context of the Swiss adaptation strategy as well as all actors involved in their design, funding and implementation. I find that federal governmental actors occupy the most important bridging roles. However, for the most part, they seem more focused on building cross-sectoral ties than on building cross-level ties. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) stands out as the one national authority that managed to establish almost as many cross-level ties as cross-sectoral ties through the coordination of an adaptation funding programme. Thus, while adaptation measures will primarily be implemented on the municipal level, higher level actors still have a vital role to play in promoting municipal efforts, fostering collaboration and reducing fragmentation.