Collaborative Governance in State-Level Climate Change Policymaking

• In Event: Panel 2: Policy Innovation for a Changing Environment

Abstract

Effective climate change mitigation will require greenhouse gas emissions reductions across a diverse set of stakeholder groups. Given the complexities associated with contemporary environmental issues, such as climate change, stakeholder engagement via collaborative policymaking processes has emerged as a potentially effective management model. This study draws upon the literature on collaborative governance to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the possible variables that influence collaborative climate change policymaking and policy outcomes in U.S. states. The framework is applied using a case study investigation of the climate change policymaking experiences in four states. The analysis relies upon process tracing techniques to test hypotheses concerning the role of collaborative governance institutions and stakeholder engagement in the climate change policymaking process, and whether and how such institutions generate policy outcomes. The results of the case study analysis show that the proposed conceptual framework, and the associated theoretical perspectives, for collaborative climate change policy offer an informative approach for understanding how climate change mitigation efforts transpire in U.S. states.

Author

• Duran Fiack, Lehman College, City University New York