Abstract
Adaptive governance seeks to address complicated and difficult policy problems. Due to the extreme political upheaval wrought by the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal climate change programs, many state and local governments are considering new policy approaches. Yet by ignoring crucial aspects of politics and intergovernmental relations, the adaptive governance literature provides little guidance for such substantial issues. This paper introduces the concept of strategic adaptive governance, a framework for permitting policymakers to achieve the highest rate of compliance possible under existing conditions and constraints involving state and local policy, despite political upheaval. The strategic adaptive governance model embraces politics, accounts for the role of central authorities, and emphasizes the motivations, resources, and interdependencies of affected parties. We apply the model in an analysis of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), examining the extent to which it aligns with strategic adaptive governance, and evaluating the potential for the state to utilize the model. We find that AB 32 aligns moderately with strategic adaptive governance, and discuss how the model could help protect and enhance policy gains. More broadly, strategic adaptive governance provides a generic and universal framework for policymakers interested in tactical formulation of any regulatory policy.
Highlights
During the past two decades, a great deal has been written on adaptive governance, environmental policymaking, and sustainable development [1]
We focus on AB 32 because it set forth California’s overarching climate change governance approach, it stands out among policies addressing climate change, and it has been cited as having at least some traits consistent with adaptive governance [6]
No doubt, pursuing strategic adaptive governance is going to be more difficult during a period of extreme political upheaval, such as the present one, than in other periods marked by less partisanship and political and ideological discord
Summary
During the past two decades, a great deal has been written on adaptive governance, environmental policymaking, and sustainable development [1]. The Trump administration has eliminated federal government websites containing scientific information supporting the increasing seriousness of climate change and recommendations on how to reduce GHG emissions. These actions have led many state and local government officials to contemplate new approaches to address climate change. The adaptive governance literature, which has ignored crucial aspects of politics and intergovernmental relations—as discussed below—provides little guidance in illuminating what those approaches might be, while the federal government quickly retreats on the climate change issue. We consider the potential for California to implement a strategic adaptive governance approach to protect policy gains that already have been made and potentially enhance efforts to reduce GHG emissions. We conclude with a discussion about how other government entities could incorporate strategic adaptive governance in periods of extreme political upheaval
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