Most recent papers:

• Soil Carbon Markets in the Making: Power Relations and Matters of Concern in Offsetting and Insetting.
  Philippa Simmonds, Julie Ingram, Damian Maye.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 3 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper investigates emerging soil carbon markets and seeks to identify the groups of actors and power relations that constitute their structure and function. Voluntary soil carbon markets (VSCMs) are emerging globally as a key mechanism for generating carbon removals as part of climate mitigation efforts. Developments are characterised by both carbon offsetting and supply chain insetting for Scope 3 emissions reductions. Despite their increasing prominence, VSCMs remain poorly understood as socio‐technical and political arrangements. This paper examines how UK VSCMs are being implemented, governed, and contested, and how they are shaped by power relations. Drawing on economic sociology and political ecology, we conceptualise VSCMs as ‘markets‐in‐the‐making’, and extend Callon's notion of markets as in vivo experiments by explicitly incorporating power relations. To investigate different groups' influence on market development, we apply an adapted Net‐Map methodology via 17 semi‐structured interviews and a validation workshop with stakeholders involved in UK VSCMs. Our findings reveal a fragmented and experimental governance landscape and identify key matters of concern, including pricing asymmetries, knowledge gaps, opacity in insetting arrangements and reduced agency for tenant farmers. While regulation is widely viewed as necessary to improve market integrity, current frameworks insufficiently address insetting. We argue that without deliberate efforts to ‘civilise’ VSCMs by embedding transparency, procedural justice, and inclusive governance, these arrangements risk reproducing existing inequities within agri‐food systems. The paper contributes methodologically and theoretically by advancing tools for analysing emerging market governance, and highlighting power relations underlying VSCMs.\n"]

  August 06, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70128   open full text
• Ocean Governance and Marine Conservation: Institutional Work as a Lever for Ocean Sustainability.
  Kedar Uttam, Kristjan Jespersen, Paige Olmsted, Katryn Pasaribu.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 4 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nOcean governance presents one of the most complex environmental policy challenges of our time, requiring coordinated action across multiple scales, sectors and stakeholder groups. This paper applies institutional work theory to systematically examine how actors create, maintain and disrupt the governance arrangements underpinning ocean sustainability and marine conservation finance. Through a comprehensive review of 107 peer‐reviewed articles, we identify patterns of institutional work across the ocean governance literature. Our findings reveal a predominant emphasis on institutional creation (100% of articles) and maintenance (91% of articles), with comparatively less attention to disruptive institutional actions (57% of articles). Statistical analysis using tetrachoric correlations demonstrates significant relationships between institutional work subcategories, suggesting that effective ocean governance requires coordinated action across multiple institutional dimensions. We show that these correlations disclose three recurring configurations of institutional work, namely enabling creation, normative maintenance and disruptive realignment and that the maintenance and disruptive configurations are largely decoupled across the review of literature. Building on this finding, we propose an integrated model in which ocean sustainability outcomes depend on the coupling of these configurations rather than on the volume of any single form of work. The model is stated as four testable propositions and identifies the agents positioned to carry each configuration together with the barriers to coupling them in a fragmented governance landscape. The paper contributes to environmental governance scholarship by demonstrating how institutional work theory can inform practical strategies for enhancing ocean sustainability.\n"]

  August 05, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70129   open full text
• Water Governance Under International Pressure: Policy Narratives, Food Security, Scarcity, and the Politics of Survival in Iran.
  Alireza Raisi.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 7 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWater governance is increasingly influenced by a paradox at the nexus of environmental scarcity and food security. Escalating water scarcity crises coincide with geopolitical disruptions that have exposed the fragility of global food supply chains, prompting states to expand domestic food production at the expense of water conservation. Despite scholarly efforts to analyze water governance, this policy paradox has not been sufficiently investigated. The paper aims to fill this gap by tracing a shift in water policymaking in the case of Iran, a country under international pressure, which intensifies the food security challenge. Drawing from content analysis of numerous Farsi documents, the paper employs the Narrative Policy Framework to explain this transformation. The analysis reveals two competing narratives on water policymaking in Iran: one narrative emphasizes water consumption reduction as a part of sustainable development practices. The other emphasizes self‐sufficiency in agricultural products to protect the nation against external threats—a goal that necessitates increased water consumption. However, a significant shift happened in the latter discourse, acknowledging the imperative to conserve water. The analysis indicates that international pressure catalyzed this unprecedented shift within the resistance narrative. In this transformation, water scarcity poses a security challenge for the long‐term survival against external threats. This reframing led the conservative ruling elite to endorse the water consumption reduction, paving the way to overcome the other legal and bureaucratic barriers to formulate water‐saving policies. The paper contributes to the field by demonstrating the important role of international forces and narrative in shaping environmental policymaking.\n"]

  August 02, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70120   open full text
• From Imitation to Innovation: Demystifying the Evolution of China's Vehicular Emission Standards.
  Huanhong Li, Jianhua Xu.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 7 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nMoving from imitation to innovation across both technological and institutional domains represents the mega trend in China. The question remains: what drives these transformations, and how are the difficulties navigated? Drawing upon the case of China's light‐duty vehicle emission standards, we seek to provide empirically grounded answers. The standard and its second to fifth revisions all adopted the European Union standards from 2001 to 2016; the sixth revision of the standards made in 2016, however, shifted toward a more autonomous model. The shift was driven by growing domestic needs. On the one hand, public demand for better air quality called for stricter vehicle emission standards; on the other hand, decision‐makers intended to develop standards that serve domestic rather than international automakers' interests. To turn this intent into reality required sufficient policy capacity, which the responsible agency initially lacked but subsequently managed to acquire. Specifically, policy capacity was expanded through two mechanisms: the regulatory agency leveraged its nodality and authority to mobilize resources from domestic firms and research institutes and used China's structural power in global markets to access critical information from foreign regulators and suppliers. Building on these findings, we view policy capacity not as a static set of attributes but as a dynamic process of weaving fragmented capacities into usable ones, triggered by critical decisions and shaped by structural contexts. Overall, this study advances our understanding of Chinese policy‐making by showing how policy capacity can be enhanced through mechanisms beyond policy experimentation and borrowing.\n"]

  August 02, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70127   open full text
• Bridging Policy Gaps in Transition Times: How Local Actors Navigate Low Policy Coherence for Advancing a Circular Built Environment.
  A. (Angeline) Chartier, W. D. (Wieke) Pot.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 11 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe construction sector is a major contributor to the climate crisis, accounting for over one‐third of global energy‐related CO2 emissions. In response, the European Commission identified the circular economy as a means of achieving green growth and prioritized the construction sector in its Circular Economy Action Plan. Since then, national and local governments have begun developing policy regimes to promote the circular economy in the built environment (CEBE). However, implementation remains limited, and policy coherence—the alignment of objectives and instruments across government levels—is a recognized issue due to the novelty of the circular economy policy regime. This article analyzes how local actors bridge policy gaps in the existing policy regime to enable sustainability transitions through a multi‐case study of two European metropolitan regions in France and the Netherlands that advance the circular built environment. Based on a document analysis and interviews with local stakeholders (n = 20), the study reveals that CEBE policies frequently suffer from low coherence due to incompatible policy mixes. Two dynamics are particularly problematic: layering, where new goals and instruments are introduced without aligning with existing ones, and drift, where new objectives are pursued using outdated instruments. A lack of concrete implementation mechanisms exacerbates low coherence further. Despite these challenges, local actors develop pragmatic strategies to cope with inconsistencies—strategies that are often overlooked. We conclude with recommendations to enhance policy coherence, including incentivizing bio‐based and material reuse, adapting legal frameworks, supporting local pilots, and encouraging bottom‐up approaches.\n"]

  July 29, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70123   open full text
• From Explicit Insights to Tacit Learning: A Multiframework Analysis of NBS Evaluation in Malaysian Sponge City Planning.
  Fatemehalsadat Khoshhalshaghaji.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. 13 days ago
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article re‐analyses expert survey data from two Malaysian case sites where sponge city concepts were newly introduced to examine learning‐related patterns within a participatory evaluation of nature‐based solutions (NBSs). The study applies an integrative analytical framework combining Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, Pahl‐Wostl's Triple‐Loop Learning, and Wenger's Communities of Practice to interpret cognitive, institutional, and practice‐oriented dimensions of expert responses. The recoding analysis suggests a predominance of Abstract Conceptualization and Practice‐oriented dimensions, indicating a strong emphasis on codified technical reasoning. Indicators associated with reflective, relational, and higher‐order institutional learning appeared less frequently. While these patterns cannot be interpreted as direct evidence of social learning, they provide insight into the types of learning orientations that structured expert‐based evaluation methods may be more likely to capture. The findings highlight both the strengths and limitations of survey‐based participatory approaches. Structured evaluations can support systematic technical assessment and knowledge synthesis but may provide more limited insight into experiential, relational, and context‐specific forms of knowledge. Methodologically, the study demonstrates the potential value of using multiple learning frameworks as a diagnostic reinterpretation tool for participatory evaluation data. More broadly, the results contribute to discussions on how expert‐led assessment processes shape the forms of knowledge that become visible within climate adaptation planning.\n"]

  July 27, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70125   open full text
• Closing the Governance Gap: Aligning Finance, Assessment, and Disclosure for Climate‐Compatible Infrastructure.
  Shivam Srivastava, Chirag Kothari, Usha Iyer‐Raniga, Sudhir Misra.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 21, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGovernments worldwide are advancing climate‐compatible infrastructure (CCI) to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement targets. Yet implementation remains fragmented and weakly coordinated, limiting transformative impact. We identify a structural gap across three governance functions critical to CCI delivery: financing, performance assessment, and impact disclosure. These functions are governed by distinct and often disconnected systems led respectively by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Infrastructure Rating Tools (IRTs), and Sustainability Reporting Frameworks (SRFs). We propose a systems‐based governance model, the “MDB–IRT–SRF” nexus, that enables infrastructure to be more accountable, traceable, and responsive to regional contexts. Drawing on the comparative analysis across six regions (Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America), we illustrate that the nexus provides a diagnostic framework applicable across diverse contexts. However, its effectiveness depends on enabling conditions, including institutional capacity, regulatory alignment, and interoperable data systems. Rather than a technical solution alone, realizing this integration requires an incremental institutional shift toward coordinated financing, assessment, and disclosure systems. We argue that stronger alignment across these governance functions can support more credible, measurable, and context‐sensitive CCI outcomes.\n"]

  July 21, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70118   open full text
• Sustaining Collective Action Under Institutional Constraint: Governance Dynamics in Interdisciplinary Sociotechnical Interventions.
  Antonio Cáñez‐Cota.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 17, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nInterdisciplinary sociotechnical interventions are widely promoted to address sustainability challenges in energy, water, and environmental governance, yet many struggle to sustain collective action once external funding and coordination recede. This article examines how governance arrangements are reconfigured under institutional constraint during the implementation of a community‐based sociotechnical intervention in rural Mexico. Drawing on qualitative process tracing grounded in project documentation, institutional deliberations, and reflexive engagement with the intervention, the analysis reconstructs how distributive conflict, enforcement fragility, fiscal misalignment, temporal pressure, and multilevel accountability shaped the project trajectory. The study develops an empirically grounded governance framework centered on four interdependent conditions: stabilization of authority, alignment of incentives and responsibilities, management of temporality and transition, and fiscal and operational continuity. The findings show that governance sustainability depended less on technological feasibility than on institutionally durable arrangements capable of reconciling participation, enforcement, and accountability.\n"]

  July 17, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70124   open full text
• Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge Into Forest Governance: Pathways to Sustainable Development in Protected Forest Ecosystems.
  Yao Yang, Sani Abubakar Mashi, Nnachi Ikwou Nnachi.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 16, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nTraditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of forest communities plays a vital role in sustainable development by sustaining biodiversity, enhancing climate resilience, securing livelihoods through practices such as sacred groves and agroforestry, and supporting integrated forest management (IFM). It directly advances SDGs 1, 2, 5, 13, 15, and 16 by promoting food security, gender equality, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and strong institutional governance. Despite longstanding recognition of TEK's ecological value, limited attention has been given to how it is embedded within governance systems, particularly in major protected areas where institutional and sociopolitical dynamics shape the TEK–science–governance interface. Using the social–ecological systems (SES) framework and a mixed‐methods approach, this study examined four forest‐dependent communities in the Okwango Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria. Findings reveal that although knowledge holders are predominantly middle‐aged men, women play critical roles in non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) management and intergenerational knowledge transfer, and long‐term married residents serve as key custodians of culturally embedded practices such as taboos, sacred sites, and agroforestry. However, TEK remains marginalized within centralized, state‐led governance structures characterized by minimal participation, insecure land tenure, and a lack of legal recognition. The study provides both theoretical and empirical insights into how TEK can be effectively integrated with scientific forest management to advance sustainable forest policy development. It concludes that embedding TEK within inclusive, legally recognized, and participatory hybrid governance systems can strengthen resilience, adaptive management, and equity and recommends legal recognition of customary tenure, co‐management frameworks, youth engagement, benefit‐sharing mechanisms, and cross‐sectoral partnerships to advance sustainable forest policy and conservation outcomes.\n"]

  July 16, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70117   open full text
• The Role of Collaborative Gaps in Stakeholders' Partnership Evaluations in Complex Environmental Governance Systems.
  Harrison Fried, Ramiro Berardo, Matthew Hamilton.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 16, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIn this article, we explore how stakeholders navigate potential collaborative partnerships in complex social‐ecological systems. Building from literature on social‐ecological fit, collaborative governance, and resource dependence, we evaluate the degree to which (1) collaborative gaps (i.e., instances where stakeholders manage the same issue(s) but do not directly collaborate), (2) mutual partners, and (3) the potential to access social, financial, and human capital guide stakeholders' evaluations of potential partners. We organized a partnership rating activity where stakeholders involved in climate change adaptation in Columbus, Ohio, interacted with potential partners and privately rated the importance of their potential partnership. We find that participants were more likely to rate other stakeholders as important partners when they worked on more overlapping issues, but less likely to favorably rate potential partners when they shared more mutual partners. Our study describes how actors navigate complex social‐ecological systems, showing that collaborative gaps are important for partnership evaluation.\n"]

  July 16, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70122   open full text
• Everything Changed, Yet Hunting Rights Did Not: Formulation of Wildlife Property Rights in Postsocialist Slovenia.
  Milan Šinko, Brina Malnar.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 11, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study uses the policy regime framework to examine how background conditions, institutions, and actor configurations shaped hunting rights within the forest–wildlife policy domain during Slovenia's postsocialist transformation. Drawing on media analysis, in‐depth interviews with policymakers, and legislative documents, it conducts a detailed process‐tracing analysis of wildlife policy formulation to investigate why private landowners were unable to reclaim their presocialist hunting rights. The analysis shows that a normative consensus around environmental stewardship, reinforced by asymmetric power relations, was a key driver of institutional persistence. In part due to its political learning capacity, the Hunting Association of Slovenia emerged as the dominant actor, supported by center‐left parties, while forest owners remained marginalized. Advocates of state‐controlled hunting successfully aligned their agenda with the prevailing state‐planned wildlife management paradigm and public sentiment, thereby reinforcing continued state ownership of wildlife. The case provides an empirically grounded demonstration of how actor power, institutional structures, and dominant policy ideas can structurally constrain the scope and direction of policy change within governance systems, as observed at the national level, even under conditions of major systemic transformation and in the context of EU accession. The study profiles Slovenia as a normatively conservation‐oriented policy context, in which European norms of “civilized” governance were mobilized to legitimize state control, while market‐oriented or privatized governance models lack political legitimacy.\n"]

  July 11, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70119   open full text
• From Spectators to Co‐Managers: Understanding Smallholder Farmers' Climate Adaptation Through Bounded Rationality and Institutional Logics.
  Enoch Yeleliere, Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 06, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSmallholder farmers in the Guinea Savannah region of Ghana face multiple climate stressors, including droughts and floods. Farmers navigate these climate stressors by making adaptation decisions based on limited information, cognitive constraints, and time pressures, circumstances that reflect bounded rationality. The study moves beyond traditional “rational choice” models to explain how farmers make “satisficing,” practical, and context‐specific decisions based on limited information, cognitive constraints, and time pressures, and the role of institutional logics in shaping farmers' adaptation choices. The empirical analysis draws on a phenomenological qualitative design and semi‐structured interviews with 36 farmers across nine farming communities in three districts within Ghana's Guinea Savannah zone. The findings suggest that farmers draw on local awareness, ecological memory, and indigenous knowledge to manage climate stressors. In managing climate stressors, farmers make boundedly rational adaptation decisions through procedural rationality, heuristics, and ecological rationality. Such decisions are mediated by institutional logics, specifically the logics of appropriateness, consequentiality, and meaningfulness, which can either marginalize farmers to become spectators or empower them to become “co‐managers” of environmental change. The paper argues that climate policy design should incorporate the realism of psychological regularities to enhance adaptation governance. Doing so will strengthen adaptation governance by reinforcing state capacities to recognize, legitimize, and promote locally relevant knowledge and adaptation strategies. This perspective offers a more realistic and empowering approach to adaptation co‐management, particularly in vulnerable agricultural communities.\n"]

  July 06, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70114   open full text
• How Do Regional Governments Navigate Policy Integration for Eco‐Industrial Parks? Dimensions and Mechanisms.
  Wenting Jiao, Yanwei Li.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nEnvironmental policy integration (EPI) is essential for reconciling economic development with environmental sustainability, yet its temporal evolution and underlying mechanisms remain underexplored, particularly at the regional governance level. The development of eco‐industrial parks (EIPs) exemplifies this challenge as a cross‐cutting policy issue that necessitates horizontal integration of economic and environmental domains. To address these gaps, this study adopts and extends a process‐oriented analytical framework to examine EIP policy integration in the Province of South Holland, the Netherlands. Our findings demonstrate that the interplay between policy framing and subsystem involvement shapes integration outputs, namely policy objectives and instruments. We further identify hierarchical authority and reflective learning as two parallel mechanisms. Hierarchical authority drives EPI advances during periods of high political attention, and reflective learning builds administrative capacity that sustains integration beyond electoral cycles. This study provides implications that enhancing mainstreaming capacity and institutionalizing learning mechanisms are effective approaches to improve EPI.\n"]

  July 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70116   open full text
• The Ecological U‐Turn in Nordic Forestry: Policy Learning, Measurement, and the Retrenchment of Ecological Ambitions.
  Gisle Andersen, Monika Berg, Hogne Lerøy Sataøen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSince the 1990s, environmental policy has shifted toward ecosystem protection and biodiversity conservation, a development often described as an ecological turn. This article argues that in practice this turn has taken the form of an ecological “U‐turn,” as environmental ambitions are subordinated to production‐oriented objectives. While earlier research has documented tensions between production and environmental protection in forest governance, less attention has been paid to how ecological measurements and indicators become central sites of political struggle. Drawing on expert interviews and policy documents from Norway and Sweden, the article analyses how ecological goals were translated into forestry through new forms of measurement, monitoring, and assessment, and how these instruments became contested. Combining insights from Peter Hall's theory of policy change, the Advocacy Coalition Framework, and research on policy instrumentation, we show that the ecological turn reconfigured forest governance by introducing new environmental goals, instruments, and forms of expertise, and by temporarily rebalancing relations between competing coalitions within the forest‐policy subsystem. Over time, however, this more collaborative dynamic gave way to a more adversarial subsystem, in which measurement practices shifted from supporting the identification and protection of ecological values to defining thresholds for acceptable degradation and legitimizing trade‐offs. The article shows how technical measurements do not simply inform policy learning but also reshape environmental conflict. Though rooted in forest governance, these findings speak to broader cross‐cutting tensions in environmental policymaking, where technical measurements may obscure political choices embedded in ecological turns and other sustainability transformations.\n"]

  July 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70115   open full text
• “We Are Willing to Change, If…”: Potential Impacts of Citizens' Assemblies on the Willingness to Change for Sustainability in Rural East German Municipalities.
  Lea Findeis, Nicolas Jager.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 26, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIn light of the democratic and social‐ecological crises, deliberative minipublics such as citizens' assemblies are increasingly implemented and discussed by scholars as a means for sound decision‐making and to enhance public support for sustainability transformations. Through a case study covering three municipalities in East Germany, this article examines how citizens' assemblies can impact the willingness to change for sustainability in rural municipalities. Interviews were conducted with participants of the assemblies, local politicians, and administrative employees. The locally prevailing willingness to change was perceived as low, mainly due to structural barriers and widespread disenchantment with current approaches to sustainability. Despite this, the findings suggest effects of the citizens' assemblies on the participants' willingness to change, notably through a reported increase in knowledge and in the perceived feasibility of change. The described effects on the municipal administration and politics include local trust building and an enhanced participatory culture. The findings point to the potentials of locally adapted solutions, while emphasizing a need for deliberative approaches that are sensitive to both diverging contexts and structural conflicts in sustainability transformations.\n"]

  June 26, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70113   open full text
• Unraveling the Interplay Between Collaborative Governance and Experimentation for Transformative Potential in Circular Water Systems: A Dutch Case Study.
  Flavia Simona Albu Cosoveanu, Kirsty Holstead, Jean‐Marie Buijs, Dave Huitema.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 25, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nFreshwater availability is a critical climate change challenge in coastal delta regions. This challenge requires a transformative change toward circular water management. While experimentation and collaborative governance are recognized as enablers of transformative change, their interaction remains complex and insufficiently understood. Experimentation offers flexibility and learning processes with innovative solutions, whereas collaborative governance is based on collective decision‐making and is often resistant to change. Despite the differences, both concepts complement each other and jointly shape the transformative potential of water systems. This paper unravels the interplay between collaborative dynamics and experimentation, advancing transformative potential in circular water systems. We operationalize the framework of Emerson et al. to analyze a Dutch case study in which a diverse actor network engages in water experiments and other initiatives aimed at developing a circular and resilient system. Data were collected through document analysis, four workshops, and 10 in‐depth interviews. The findings show that the transformative potential of a water system depends on key collaborative dynamics, including open and transparent deliberation to address conflicting interests, developing a mutual understanding, and determining collective actions. Deliberation also plays a central role in fostering mutual trust and shared commitment among stakeholders. In addition, clearly defined leadership, flexible procedural and institutional arrangements for experimentation, and the availability of financial and human resources are crucial to support the transformative potential of water systems. Finally, the study demonstrates that experiments contribute to transformative potential when they function as collaborative spaces in which stakeholders jointly engage in advancing a circular water system.\n"]

  June 25, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70112   open full text
• Toward Comprehensive Climate Action: Assessing Mitigation Approaches Across Canadian Municipalities.
  Aryana Soliz, Adriane MacDonald, David Talbot, Eduardo Ordonez‐Ponce, Ying Zhou, Samantha Hall Linton, Amelia Clarke, Amr ElAlfy.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 23, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nLocal governments are widely regarded as key leaders in the global response to climate change. Understanding if and how municipalities commit to climate mitigation is crucial for assessing their contribution to global emission‐reduction goals and identifying barriers to effective climate transitions. Here we provide an assessment of local climate action planning and implementation approaches. Drawing from an original survey dataset from municipal governments across Canada, we identify in a cluster analysis six climate governance typologies: Comprehensive Climate Advocates, Foundation Builders, Internal Impact Architects, Unseen Leaders, Silent Implementers, and Climate Bystanders. Whereas municipalities in the top‐performing cluster have adopted the most convincing approaches, subsequent clusters highlight inconsistencies regarding planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting, revealing a polarized climate action landscape. Association analysis points to the limited influence of existing subnational policies on local climate action and to setbacks for some municipalities, while also revealing an emerging group of small and mid‐sized municipalities that is gaining prominence in comprehensive climate action. These results can help to inform climate action scholarship and policymaking, providing insights into the comprehensiveness of mitigation approaches across different types of municipalities and the need for continued assessment of multi‐level accountability mechanisms.\n"]

  June 23, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70110   open full text
• Addressing Barriers to Fair Community Participation in Mangrove Carbon Credit Projects: Insights From Thailand.
  Danny Marks, Kittima Leeruttanawisut.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 19, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThailand has announced ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including a programme that allows private companies to earn carbon credits from protecting and restoring mangroves. In 2023, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) began enrolling local communities and private firms in this scheme. We examine whether communities can participate fairly, drawing on 18 semi‐structured interviews with government officials, NGOs, community leaders and private sector actors. We identify five barriers: unclear policies that leave communities uncertain about their rights; benefit‐sharing arrangements widely perceived as unfair; divergent views among communities and NGOs about carbon offsetting; knowledge and capacity gaps that limit meaningful engagement; and prohibitive verification and implementation costs. We argue that these barriers are not discrete problems but mutually reinforcing features of T‐VER's governance architecture, producing distributive, procedural and recognitional injustices that constrain participation. State mediation does not necessarily protect communities. Without formal rights, independent accountability mechanisms and accessible verification pathways, it can instead concentrate power in the hands of state and corporate actors. Thailand's experience raises important concerns for other countries where forest land remains under state control. We conclude with recommendations for reform that could make community participation more equitable and projects more durable.\n"]

  June 19, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70111   open full text
• Competition and Cooperation in Urban Climate Governance: A Global Systematic Review.
  Tian Xu, Huachun Wang, Jianhui Cong.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 18, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nCities are assuming an increasingly pivotal role in global climate governance. They function not only as key drivers of “bottom–up” governance initiatives but also as active practitioners of a “learning‐by‐doing” approach in tackling climate challenges. A key issue in understanding urban climate actions relates to when and where they cooperate and/or compete with other urban areas as they address climate challenges. This study conducts a systematic review to identify 61 relevant studies from the perspective of competition and cooperation theories, through iterative screening and to consider the roles of competition and cooperation in these studies. The findings reveal that competitive dynamics within climate governance are mainly reflected in the allocation of carbon responsibilities, access to climate finance, and the development of green technologies and innovation. Cooperative interactions, by contrast, are more evident in both “hard” domains such as the exchange of resources and technologies and “soft” domains including policy learning, experience sharing, and information flows. Different climate issues further demonstrate an embedded configuration in which competition and cooperation are jointly integrated throughout the policy process. The analysis builds understanding of urban climate governance across multiple levels, polycentric structures, and intercity network arrangements, and it identifies a number of critical gaps in the literature that could be addressed in future research.\n"]

  June 18, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70108   open full text
• Challenges in Implementing European Regulation on Water Reuse for Sustainable Agriculture.
  Patricia Allgaier, Roberta Maffettone, Kevin Grecksch.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 16, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe Regulation (EU) 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse is a key policy for sustainable water management under growing water scarcity in Europe. This paper examines expert perspectives on the challenges involved in implementing EU regulation for water reuse in agriculture, aiming to broaden existing research, which is largely focused on technical aspects, while governance and socio‐economic perspectives remain less explored. The research adopts Stakeholder Theory as the analytical framework with an embedded case study design. A total of 23 semi‐structured expert interviews were conducted to collect general stakeholder perspectives at European and national levels, complemented by an in‐depth view of a water reuse scheme in Germany. The findings show that the implementation of the regulation is shaped by interlinked legal, technical, economic and social factors. From a legal perspective, results indicate concern about divergence between EU‐wide standards and the potential introduction of stricter national rules that may reduce feasibility. From a technical and economic perspective, substantial investments in monitoring, disinfection and risk management could put pressure on small and resource‐limited utilities. Socially, acceptance among farmers, retailers and consumers is crucial, since reclaimed water can only be used if it is viewed as safe, marketable and supported by transparent communication. This study underscores the importance of stakeholder engagement and provides insights to support the uptake of water reuse in Europe.\n"]

  June 16, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70082   open full text
• Public Opinion About Community Participation in Natural Resources Governance: A Population Survey in Indonesia and Malaysia.
  Rachel S. Friedman, Emily Massingham, Kerrie A. Wilson, Angela J. Dean.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 09, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe international conservation and natural resources communities have increasingly embraced the principle of community participation. This rhetoric around participation has gained power and influence in setting countries' agendas for natural resources governance, largely without a sound understanding of public opinion on the issues. As such, this paper seeks to better understand public opinion about community participation in natural resources management and decision‐making, and the factors underpinning those opinions. We draw on a large quantitative population survey in Indonesia and Malaysia to examine views on who should participate in forest management, how actively communities should participate in decision‐making, and how geography, experiences, and other social factors affect these views. Our study shows that over half (59%) of respondents prefer that local people be involved in forest management and taught any skills they need, whereas 41% prioritize managers with existing skills. Almost half of participants also indicate that communities should be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives (43%). However, perceptions about participation varied significantly with experiences and other social factors. For example, proximity to forests was associated with prioritizing local involvement; conversely, those most familiar with forest regulations preferred involving people with existing necessary skills. Overall, these findings demonstrate how perspectives about participation are not universally held across populations. This highlights the importance of considering perspectives from diverse social groups when designing and enacting participatory mechanisms within natural resources policies, and exploring how opportunities and capacity to participate are understood and valued by those on the front lines of implementation.\n"]

  June 09, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70109   open full text
• Collective Decision‐Making and Institutional Configurations in Polycentric Environmental Governance.
  Kirsten Hegsvold.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWhy do formally similar polycentric governance arrangements differ in their governance performance, and how do institutional configurations of enabling conditions account for these differences? [Correction added on 07 July 2026, after first online publication: The preceding sentence has been updated.] This article examines variation in governance performance across three metropolitan regions in Norway operating under the national Urban Growth Agreement (UGA) framework and pursuing the shared objective of zero growth in private car traffic. Drawing on participatory observation of steering group meetings, three rounds of elite interviews, and document analysis, the study analyzes how polycentric governance operates in practice. Building on the Institutional Analysis and Development framework and Carlisle and Gruby's concept of enabling conditions, it argues that variation in governance performance is explained less by whether enabling conditions are present than by how they are configured across decision arenas. The findings identify three governance configurations: one characterized by structured bargaining and distributive tensions, one by stable coordination supported by technical expertise and consensus‐oriented procedures, and one by consensus‐constrained adaptation shaped by territorial balancing. The findings show that institutional configurations of enabling conditions shape adaptive capacity, institutional fit, and redundancy in polycentric urban climate governance systems.\n"]

  June 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70091   open full text
• Circularity Before Strategy: Translating the Circular Economy for Environmental Policy and Governance in Emerging Economies.
  Solmaz Filiz Karabag, Cali Nuur.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 04, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe circular economy (CE) is now a cornerstone of global environmental policy. However, current debates often frame CE as a future‐oriented strategy to be adopted or scaled, implicitly assuming that emerging economies and the Global South are starting from strictly linear conditions. Drawing on practice‐oriented and institutional perspectives, this paper reconceptualizes CE as a set of already‐operating, economically rational practices—such as repair, reuse, and informal material circulation. We argue that the central governance challenge in these contexts is not the introduction of CE from scratch, but understanding how existing circularity is recognized, reorganized, or displaced during institutionalization. By synthesizing research across capability, governance, transition, and justice‐oriented framings, we illustrate how dominant models neglect everyday circularity as “informal” rather than constitutive of the system. We develop a practice‐based translation perspective to distinguish between practices of CE and CE in practice, elucidating how these processes shape value creation and power relations. Ultimately, this paper posits that emerging economies are not merely “catching up,” but are analytically informative settings for understanding circular governance under constraint. We conclude by outlining implications for transformative and mission‐oriented innovation policy.\n"]

  June 04, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70107   open full text
• From Contingency Management to Transformative Climate Risk Adaptation? Analysis of Private Sector Agency in Navigating Complex Climate Risk Realities.
  Päivi Tikkakoski, Sirkku Juhola.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 501-513, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe growing complexity and severity of cross‐border climate risks characterised by non‐linear impact chains and deep uncertainty questions the capacity of environmental governance to tackle these problems effectively and in a just manner. To increase the efficiency of climate action, the private sector has been called upon to leverage market‐based solutions and technologies especially with regards to emission reduction. However, the extent to which this approach is viable in addressing more complex climate risks is not clear. We examine the sustainability argumentation of 10 Finnish companies to see how the understanding of climate risks critically shapes their strategic agency. We argue that while some companies are embracing more transformative climate strategies, their assumed roles and responsibilities are caught with the traditional and reactive sustainability discourse underpinned by ideas of ecological modernisation and rationales of risk governance. This effectively curtails their agency and contributes to unresponsiveness to new climate risk realities.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70064   open full text
• Bridging Cross‐Scale Science–Policy Interfaces for Coherent Land‐Use Governance: Knowledge Co‐Production and Uptake in Kenya's Polycentric System.
  Sara Velander, Lisa Biber‐Freudenberger.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 654-673, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nLand is fundamental to livelihoods and ecosystem health but faces mounting pressure from human activities, climate change, and competing development demands. Science–policy interfaces (SPIs)—platforms that connect experts and policymakers—are vital for co‐producing knowledge to inform coherent, sustainable land‐use governance. Yet, limited understanding exists of how global and national SPIs interact in Africa, particularly in Kenya, where biodiversity conservation, agricultural expansion, and other competing land uses generate complex trade‐offs. This study examines how knowledge on land issues is co‐produced and exchanged within Kenya's polycentric system and explores the influence of global and national SPIs on Kenyan land policies. Based on 25 semi‐structured interviews with government officials, researchers, and global SPI authors, the study maps Kenya's SPI network on land issues and analyzes its interaction forms, influence, enablers, and barriers. Findings reveal an active but fragmented SPI landscape, where diverse expert organizations generate evidence, build capacity, and translate global assessments into locally relevant knowledge, influencing national and county policies on climate adaptation, agroecology, biodiversity, and sustainable land management. Formal mechanisms like multi‐stakeholder platforms coexist with informal exchanges and personal networks that help bridge gaps in trust and institutional silos. However, uptake of global assessments remains limited, constrained by misaligned priorities, weak brokering, governance fragmentation, and evidence politicization. The paper recommends trust‐based relationships between experts and technical government actors, enhancing brokering capacities, inclusive co‐production with local communities, and better contextualization of global science. Kenya's devolved governance and local expertise offer promising polycentric pathways for coherent land‐use governance.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70073   open full text
• Open Space Policy‐Making and Planning in Urban Regions: Towards a Theoretical Approach Based on the Multiple Streams Framework.
  Gerd Lintz, Mariam Diagayété.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 674-684, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nOpen space networks provide multiple ecosystem services and other benefits which are particularly important to urban regions. Accordingly, there are many examples around the world of urban‐regional open space policies such as regional parks and green belts that connect non‐built‐up areas over several municipalities. Yet it is still unclear how and why this kind of policy can prevail in regional political decision‐making against often strongly competing forms of land use. In this conceptual paper, we elaborate a theoretical approach to explain the adoption and implementation of the mentioned open space policies. Focusing on policy‐making and planning processes, we use the well‐established Multiple Streams Framework (MSF), originally developed by Kingdon, which has been subsequently refined and extended over the years. Drawing on relevant strands of literature, our paper applies the MSF to the field of open space policy‐making and planning in conurbations. In line with our understanding of the framework, the likelihood of a significant policy being adopted and implemented in this policy field increases when three largely independent process streams (problem, policy and political) are coupled by a capable policy entrepreneur during a policy window, and this coupling is subsequently maintained. Our approach goes beyond Kingdon's original MSF by introducing an initial and an implementation phase to the analysis. At the same time, we integrate many process‐related aspects of spatial and open space research into our MSF‐based theoretical approach. The result is summarised in a set of seven propositions.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70070   open full text
• Sidelining Mitigation: Climate Delay Discourses Among Municipal Legislators in Southeastern Brazil.
  Tainá Yumi Patriani.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 685-700, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study investigates how municipal legislators frame climate mitigation and how these framings shift responsibility, narrow the perceived scope of municipal authority, and reduce the urgency or feasibility of local action. We analyzed 31 interviews with city councilors serving on Permanent Environmental Committees across municipalities in the Piracicaba, Capivari, and Jundiaí River Basins, one of Brazil's most industrialized and urbanized regions. The study makes two contributions. First, it extends the climate delay literature by showing how mitigation‐relevant framings are articulated within local legislative arenas. We identify eight non‐mutually exclusive discursive strategies with delay potential: invoking natural variability to dilute anthropogenic causation; questioning scientific consensus; fatalistic framings; emphasizing the socioeconomic downsides of mitigation; construing the municipality as a marginal emitter; individualizing responsibility; redirecting agency to executive branches and higher levels of government; and prioritizing non‐transformative technological or market‐centered responses. These strategies are often hybridized within single accounts, producing narratives that appear pragmatic and reasonable while lowering expectations for legislative engagement and stabilizing discursive boundaries around what counts as legitimate municipal mitigation. Second, it shows how environmental discursive traditions and the systematic analysis of discursive dimensions strengthen the critical analysis of delay discourses. The findings also point to practical interventions in local climate governance, including capacity‐building efforts and the co‐production of reflexive tools that can help expose and challenge discursive logics that displace responsibility and restrict policy by repertoires.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70074   open full text
• Governing Within the Constraints of Carbon Budgets: Regional Insights From Sweden.
  Paula Lenninger, Magdalena Kuchler.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 701-714, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nStaying within the limits of a rapidly shrinking global carbon budget while avoiding dependency on negative emissions technologies and carbon dioxide removal remains a significant challenge in a multi‐level governance system, where resources and responsibilities are dispersed among different actors. In this paper, we analyse the distribution of perceived agency aimed at accelerating climate action aligned with regional carbon budgets among various actors in three Swedish counties—Östergötland, Västra Götaland, and Västerbotten. Drawing on the definition of embedded agency, we conceptualise agency as the capacity of organisations to act or effect change as perceived by those actors themselves. We interpret these perceptions through the lens of the six modes of governing: self‐governing, provision, authority, enabling, experiment, and agenda‐setting. We employ this framework through a series of workshops with regional stakeholders responsible for influencing territorial emissions, centring around 19 regional energy and climate interventions. Our study highlights that regional climate governance across the three counties could benefit from a greater emphasis on informal and non‐hierarchical modes, particularly in enabling, agenda‐setting, and experimentation, which actors perceive as having the greatest potential to advance more ambitious climate action within the constraints of regional carbon budgets. While formal authority remains underutilised despite its legal availability, the findings demonstrate the need for more decisive leadership, capacity‐building, and supportive structures to translate other modes of governing, such as enabling strategies, into tangible results. Regional variations further show that tailored approaches, responsive to local contexts, are crucial for scaling effective climate initiatives.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70076   open full text
• The “Magic” of Conflict: How Participatory Governance Can Enable Transformative Climate Adaptation.
  Dore Engbersen, Robbert Biesbroek, Catrien J. A. M. Termeer.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 594-610, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIn many cases, addressing climate risks requires transformative climate adaptation (TCA) that goes beyond small adjustments to existing systems. While scholars increasingly argue that participatory governance is key and should embrace conflict rather than push for consensus to enable TCA, this assumption remains underexplored. Therefore, this study investigates how participatory governance deals with conflict to enable TCA, drawing on a historical analysis of the Dutch Hegewarren case—a co‐creation process that led to the decision to transform an agricultural polder into a natural peatland. We find that conflict serves TCA indirectly. By allowing for conflict and taking political alternatives seriously, the co‐creation process created the enabling conditions for TCA. Specifically, allowing disagreement within the process improved participants' perceptions of the legitimacy of the co‐creation process and its outcomes. Simultaneously, the co‐creation process reshaped the social and cognitive context, reducing distrust and reframing conflicts as participants' perspectives evolved through sustained interaction. Finally, our analysis highlights the unpredictable nature of transformative change. We consider this the “magic” of conflict: moments when new combinations of problems and solutions spark contestation, yet simultaneously generate the energy needed for continuous improvement in later phases and open opportunities for policy change. By illuminating how participatory governance can productively engage with conflict, this research contributes to a better understanding of the conditions under which TCA becomes possible.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70071   open full text
• Governing the Green Transition: How Institutional Quality Conditions Renewable Energy's Sustainability Impacts in BRICS and MENA.
  Feixiao Yin, Ridwan Lanre Ibrahim, Abdulrahman Alomair.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 568-593, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe global race to decarbonize will be won or lost not by technology alone, but by the strength of governance that directs it. While renewable energy has been widely promoted as a pathway to sustainable development, its effectiveness depends heavily on the institutional environment in which transitions unfold. This study examines how governance quality connects renewable energy adoption to multidimensional sustainability—spanning economic, social, and environmental outcomes—across BRICS and MENA economies from 1996 to 2022. Using cross‐sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS‐ARDL) and panel quantile ARDL (PQARDL) models, the analysis captures both long‐run dynamics and distributional asymmetries often overlooked in conventional approaches. Results show that renewable energy adoption alone yields modest sustainability gains; however, when reinforced by robust governance institutions, its effects are significantly amplified across all three dimensions. Comparisons reveal that BRICS countries benefit from stronger renewable‐governance synergies, whereas MENA economies experience weaker outcomes due to institutional fragility and resource dependence. These findings underscore that governance is not an auxiliary factor but the missing link that ensures renewable energy transitions contribute meaningfully to sustainable development. By linking empirical evidence to the Sustainable Development Goals—particularly SDG 7 (clean energy), SDG 8 (inclusive growth), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 16 (strong institutions)—the study highlights the urgent need for integrated energy‐governance strategies. Strengthening regulatory capacity, enhancing institutional accountability, and embedding transparency into renewable energy deployment are essential steps to make transitions in emerging economies both equitable and sustainable.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70063   open full text
• Innovations for Stakeholder Engagement in Water Governance: A Systematic Literature Review From a Sustainability Transition Perspective.
  Anne Ellermann, Gül Özerol, Joanne Vinke‐de Kruijf, César Casiano Flores, Vuokko Laukka, Ulf Stein, Suvi Sojamo, Rob Collins.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 548-567, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSustainable and equitable governance of water resources is among the most pressing global challenges, emphasising the need for innovations towards transitions in the water sector. Innovations for stakeholder engagement can contribute to such transitions through public participation and cross‐sectoral collaboration. However, stakeholder engagement has often been promoted as a panacea, assuming that the greater the engagement, the higher are the chances to improve governance. Important insights can be gained for water governance and transitions by understanding stakeholders' rationales for engagement, rather than solely focusing on the act of engagement. To this end, we applied a sustainability transition perspective to synthesise the empirical evidence on the traits of innovations for stakeholder engagement and to identify the indications that stakeholders follow normative, substantive, and instrumental rationales. Based on a systematic review of 61 publications, we show that innovations are characterised by multiple governance modes, with hierarchy as the most common mode and governments as a key actor often initiating stakeholder engagement. Regarding the rationales, a key indication that stakeholders follow a normative rationale is establishing power balance, whereas promoting the diversity of knowledge systems indicates a substantive rationale, and the instrumental rationale is manifested through process‐related and institutional indications, covering resources such as information and time. Future research directions relate to longitudinal and in‐depth case studies on stakeholder engagement innovations in diverse contexts. Finding congruency of meaning between stakeholders' disparate rationales is crucial for advancing innovations for engagement, which in turn can foster water transitions.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70066   open full text
• For the Few, Not the Many: Tracing the Residualist and Compensatory Nature of British Energy Support.
  T. M. Croon, M. G. Elsinga, J. S. C. M. Hoekstra, M. Sunikka‐Blank, R. Galvin.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 529-547, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDrawing on extensive documentary analysis, this article traces the evolution of British energy policy support since World War II. It analyses shifts in policy design through two interpretive lenses: eligibility (residualist vs. universalist) and function (compensatory vs. preventive). While the UK was once a global leader in preventive, relatively broad‐based energy efficiency investments, since the 1980s it has moved increasingly towards reactive, narrowly targeted schemes, mostly delivered through energy supplier obligations and providing means‐tested relief. Moments of crisis, such as the oil shocks of the 1970s and the recent energy price surge, prompted temporary shifts to universalism, but such measures have proved short‐lived. While successive governments emphasised the many co‐benefits of energy efficiency schemes, they remain inconsistently implemented and underfunded. We argue that the persistence of residualist‐compensatory models is driven by political, institutional, and ideational factors. To make sense of these developments, we introduce a typology of four models ‐ residualist compensatory, residualist‐preventive, universalist‐compensatory, and universalist‐preventive‐ which is used to map key policy shifts and assess their implications. We conclude by explaining that a transition towards a universalist‐preventive approach must be grounded in a rights‐based framework.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70067   open full text
• Winds of Change: Environmental Collectives Navigating Small Island Governance in Tourism‐Dominated Aruba.
  Françielle A. Laclé, Eirini Skrimizea, Constanza Parra.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 514-528, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSmall islands face complex governance challenges shaped by limited capacity, economic dependency, and spatial constraints. In Aruba—one of the world's most tourism‐dependent economies—these pressures are intensified by a growth‐centric tourism regime that shapes land use, institutional priorities, and public discourse. This article examines how environmental collectives—citizen‐led groups engaged in protecting socio‐ecological commons—navigate and contest this governance landscape. Drawing on sociological institutionalism and social innovation theory, we analyze how collectives engage with formal and informal governance processes in a structurally constrained context. Based on interviews and documentary sources, we trace their evolving strategies across governance episodes, including protests, stakeholder dialogues, and litigation. Despite limited institutional responsiveness, these groups have introduced new discourses, mobilized multi‐scalar alliances, and catalyzed local engagement around environmental justice and participatory rights. We argue that environmental collectives act as agents of social innovation—not only resisting extractive development but also experimenting with alternative governance practices grounded in solidarity and place‐based values. However, their influence remains circumscribed by opaque institutions, symbolic participation, and persistent tourism dominance. The article contributes to debates on environmental governance in small island states by illustrating the dual role of environmental collectives as both challengers and co‐constructors of governance. It highlights the tensions and transformative potential of bottom‐linked action in tourism‐dominated systems, offering insights into the conditions under which citizen‐led innovation may shape more just and sustainable governance trajectories.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70061   open full text
• “Passive” Scalecraft as a State Strategy in Post‐Authoritarian Environmental Governance: A Case From South Korea.
  Souyeon Nam.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 491-500, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study employs a scalar politics framework to unpack how participatory rhetoric operates statecraft in a post‐authoritarian context, thereby illuminating hybrid‐regime behavior along a continuum of environmental governance. An examination of the environmental governance of an ecotourism project in South Korea is performed using ethnographic methods over an 18‐month period in 2011–2013. The results reveal that the state has actively deployed participatory rhetoric and purportedly maintained a passive stance in managing and promoting an ecotourism project, while actively reconfiguring institutional arrangements to reinforce state authority. The findings present a range of a decentralized state's paradoxical stance toward scalar politics. This study demonstrates a “passive” scalecraft in environmental governance as a gradual and nuanced form of authoritarian innovation in a post‐authoritarian country.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70062   open full text
• State‐Level Politics in Forest Governance: The Role of the Narrative‐Policy Nexus in the Brazilian Amazon.
  Gabriela Russo Lopes, Fabio de Castro.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 476-490, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDeforestation and its social impacts are an enduring challenge in agrarian frontiers, especially in the tropics. Fueled by global demand for commodities, this process is mediated by ideas, concepts, meanings, and policies that uphold socioenvironmental degradation. A key and understudied—arena in which this mediation occurs is the sub‐national level, where cross‐scale forest governance arrangements are shaped. The present article investigates the state‐level politics in Acre and Mato Grosso, two contrasting jurisdictions of the Brazilian Amazon. We propose the narrative‐policy nexus to analyze the interplay between material and immaterial dimensions of forest governance co‐produced by society and governmental actors. We compare the nexus between the Florestania narrative and the Ecological‐Economic Zoning (ZEE) policy in Acre (1999–2018) with the Modern Frontier narrative and the Produce, Conserve and Include (PCI) policy in Mato Grosso (2015–2019). While Acre's nexus is permeated by the valorization of forest‐based livelihoods led by local communities and support for their local agency, Mato Grosso's nexus represents a business‐as‐usual approach embedded in a dominant system of agricultural expansion which keeps dominant structures unaltered. In the analyzed period, the centrality of forests in Acre's politics contrasts with their marginal position as a supporting element to green commodity production in Mato Grosso. In conclusion, state‐level politics plays a crucial role in landscape transformations and deserves further attention within land‐use debates. This analysis brings nuances to generalizing interpretations of the Amazon as a homogeneous region, highlighting the diversity of contexts within the biome.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70059   open full text
• Understanding Engagement in Collaborative Governance Networks Through Motivation, Learning, and Values.
  Gustav Osberg.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 460-475, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nCollaborative governance networks are increasingly central to local climate action, yet research offers limited understanding of the personal, psychological, and informal factors that sustain engagement within them. This paper examines how such networks facilitate meaningful and lasting participation through an in‐depth study of Malmö Works, a long‐standing public–private collaboration focused on sustainable mobility in Malmö, Sweden. Drawing on more than 2 years of process‐oriented, action‐informed qualitative research, including participant observation, interviews, workshops, and document analysis, the study investigates how individual motivations, organisational conditions, and network structures interact to support climate action. Integrating perspectives from Self‐Determination Theory and values research with collaborative governance scholarship, the analysis identifies three intertwined learning processes: knowing the issue, knowing each other, and knowing the possibilities that enable participants to translate abstract climate ambitions into concrete, contextually grounded action. These processes are reinforced by three motivational conditions: autonomy through participant‐driven co‐creation, relatedness fostered by informal relational practices, and competence built through experimentation and open exchange. The paper contributes an integrated framework that distinguishes between process and outcome dimensions of values and goals in collaborative governance, with learning linking the two. It argues that networks such as Malmö Works advance climate action not only by coordinating activities, but by cultivating shared purpose and agency. However, the same informality enabling these benefits also generates vulnerabilities related to continuity, institutionalisation, and representativeness. The study concludes with implications for designing collaborative governance networks capable of supporting durable, equitable, and scalable climate action.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70058   open full text
• Framing Effects on Public Support and Behavioral Responses to Sustainable Forest Management in South Korea.
  Seoryeon Son, Yoonseo Bae, Gayoung Won, Hee Han, Minki Yeo.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 444-459, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDespite South Korea's extensive forest coverage, which accounts for approximately 63% of its total land area, the country imports over 83% of its timber needs and has shown a gradual decline in forest carbon sequestration capacity. The Circular Forest Management Policy (CFMP) addresses these challenges through systematic forest resource management aimed at establishing sustainable utilization cycles and enhancing carbon removals. However, public awareness remains low while environmental stakeholders express skepticism toward tree harvesting components, creating fundamental obstacles to policy success and threatening Korea's Nationally Determined Contributions targets. This study examines how communication framing strategies impact citizen support and behavioral intentions regarding CFMP. We conducted a survey experiment (n = 402) using positive versus negative frames combined with three scenarios: carbon neutrality, economic incentives, and ecological sustainability. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six groups and assessed on policy support and behavioral intentions. Results demonstrate that negative framing significantly increases policy support by activating loss aversion bias. Economic and ecological scenarios each proved more effective than carbon neutrality messaging, though with distinct patterns across outcome measures. These findings indicate that strategic message framing represents a critical component for achieving meaningful policy communication and public engagement in forest management initiatives.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70060   open full text
• Nature‐Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation: Review of Barriers to Adoption and Guidelines for Policymakers.
  Anita Vollmer, Stefano Ceolotto, Niall Farrell.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 422-443, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nNature‐based solutions (NBS) for climate adaptation encompass a range of approaches that work with nature to increase resilience to climate change while providing ecological, economic and social co‐benefits. These solutions have frequently been put forward for application in urban contexts, such as the creation of urban forests, but can likewise be applied to rural contexts where they may, for example, prevent soil erosion. However, NBS face numerous barriers to being considered on equal footing with technical climate adaptation interventions. Previous research that has sought to address this issue has focused on conceptual frameworks, on the one hand, and practical guidance on how to quantify the benefits provided by NBS, on the other. In this article, we supplement these existing frameworks by providing practical recommendations for the whole decision‐making cycle, from identification of objectives to the monitoring and scaling up of chosen interventions. We draw from a wide range of literature to, first, outline the barriers to the inclusion of NBS and, second, present policy recommendations for each step of the climate adaptation process. We find that policy recommendations which span across all decision‐making steps are: choosing a participatory decision‐making approach, involving a wide range of experts, considering social justice implications, and creating a legal and regulatory framework which can accommodate NBS. While we put an emphasis on climate adaptation, most of the recommendations presented here are not limited to this context.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70056   open full text
• The EU Cities Mission: A Governance Innovation for Stockholm?
  Lisa Sanderink, Alexandra Buylova, César Augusto Casiano Flores.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 407-421, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nAcknowledging that cities play a key role in climate change mitigation, the European Union (EU) launched the Cities Mission in 2021 to accelerate urban climate action. Intended as a governance innovation, it seeks to stimulate mission‐oriented governance in cities. This implies reshaping governance structures and processes through multi‐level collaboration, engaging citizens, and unlocking other driving forces for transformation. While scholars have reflected on the potential of the EU Cities Mission, there is a limited understanding of how it occurs in practice. To address this gap, we apply an explorative approach and employ a who‐how‐what heuristic to analyze the extent to which the EU Cities Mission fosters innovations in governance structures and processes in Stockholm, a frontrunner city. We conducted 15 semi‐structured interviews with civil servants and other stakeholders and reviewed key documents. Our results suggest that the EU Cities Mission has not been an impactful governance innovation for Stockholm, except for introducing the Climate Investment Plan and increasing multi‐level collaboration. It has mainly reinforced the effects of a similar mission approach—driven by Sweden's Viable Cities Program, such as breaking down siloed structures and enhancing innovation management. The results also lead to critical reflections on Stockholm's progress in engaging citizens. Based on the results, the study highlights opportunities to increase the success of the EU Cities Mission in Stockholm and other European cities. More broadly, the paper contributes to our understanding of the EU Mission Approach and its operationalization, while critically reflecting on its added value as a governance innovation.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70053   open full text
• Different Conditions, Yet Similar Outcomes: How Interaction Between Policy Areas Enabled Carbon Tax Adoption in Sweden and Mexico.
  Jakob Skovgaard, Åsa Knaggård, Roger Hildingsson, Sofía Sacks Ferrari.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 715-726, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe interest in putting a price on carbon emissions is increasing in pace with the urgency of climate change. In this article we compare the adoption of one such policy instrument, carbon taxation, in the cases of Sweden and Mexico. We use a theoretical framework that focuses on economic and environmental factors influencing the policy process via distinct policy areas, as well as the mechanisms these factors operate through and their impact on agency. Despite the differences between the countries, the adoption of carbon taxes in these two cases was shaped by surprisingly similar factors. In both cases ideational change allowed for framing carbon taxes in environmental and economic terms, which eased coalition‐building between economic and environmental actors once broad fiscal reforms changed power dynamics and opened windows of opportunity for policy adoption. These findings contain lessons regarding interacting factors shaping policy adoption, including the critical importance of actors exploiting synergies.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70075   open full text
• Can Biodiversity Markets Deliver Inclusive and Collaborative Nature Recovery? Lessons From Different Habitat Banking Models in England.
  M. Troiano, S. O. S. E. zu Ermgassen, N. E. Duffus, I. Hawkins, S. Gall, R. Mascia, M. Whitney, H. Thomas, M. Hirons.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 727-745, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nBiodiversity markets are increasingly promoted as instruments to close the biodiversity finance gap, yet their implications for social inclusivity and collaborative governance remain poorly understood. England's new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy provides a critical case. While previous studies have examined its ecological outcomes, few have explored how different institutional models of habitat banking shape who participates in the market and how collaboration unfolds at the landscape scale. Drawing on participatory institutional mapping and 29 interviews with landowners, conservation organisations, planning authorities, and investors in Oxfordshire, we identify and compare three models of habitat banking: (1) for‐profit providers leasing land under conservation covenants; (2) institutional not‐for‐profits managing land; and (3) individual landowners supported by not‐for‐profit facilitators under legal agreement with planning authorities. We show that for‐profit providers tend to foster inclusive participation through risk‐sharing finance but limited local collaboration, while not‐for‐profits enable collaborative governance that advances strategic, landscape‐scale nature recovery yet restricts participation to a narrower set of landowners. These findings demonstrate how institutional design and operational models shape both inclusivity and collaboration, with implications for reconciling individual participation and collective ecological goals in the implementation of biodiversity markets.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70077   open full text
• Multi‐Dimensional Power and Climate Obstruction: Lessons From Arizona's Energy Politics.
  Phoenix Eskridge‐Aldama.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 636-653, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article examines Arizona as a critical case of climate obstruction, where incumbent utilities and allied climate countermovement (CCM) actors have long constrained state‐level climate and energy governance. The CCM is a coordinated network of corporations, think tanks, and other groups obstructing climate action across scales. While scholarship has examined CCM dynamics nationally, few studies probe subnational contexts where partisan contestation and institutional structures shape climate governance. Drawing on semi‐structured interviews with 37 key actors including policymakers, regulators, utility representatives, and advocacy leaders, the study uses Lukes' three‐dimensional theory of power as an interpretive lens to examine how overt political influence, institutional agenda control, and ideological framing converge in Arizona's energy politics. Findings reveal how utilities and allied actors wield campaign finance, lobbying, and ballot spending (first dimension); exercise procedural gatekeeping and discursive pressure to exclude climate from agendas (second dimension); and deploy affordability and reliability narratives to delimit what is politically feasible (third dimension). Importantly, these dynamics are not merely imposed but normalized through institutional routines and long‐standing assumptions, embedding obstruction within the fabric of governance itself. By situating these dynamics within a subnational political context, the study contributes to growing scholarship on how climate governance is shaped by institutional structures and coalitional influence at the state level.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70072   open full text
• Environmental Policy Without Implementation? A Review of Factors Contributing to Implementation Gaps in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries.
  Rebecca K. M. Clube, Julia Tomei.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 03, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 611-635, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe sound formation of robust environmental policies is increasingly important for low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) to achieve their national objectives and international commitments. However, policy implementation can be complex, and environmental policies may not be prioritised given other critical socio‐economic development issues. Thus, although the formation of environmental policies is an important goal, effective and timely implementation is essential to ensure a policy achieves its desired outcomes. Existing studies frequently note that environmental policy implementation gaps exist, but synthesis of the evidence has so far been limited in LMIC contexts. As such, this review seeks to synthesise documented cases of environmental policy implementation gaps in LMICs, focusing on nationally directed policies. A total of 67 academic articles were reviewed, leading to the identification of five themes, which represent factors that contribute to policy implementation gaps. These relate to: the policy content; institutional arrangements and interactions; resource availability; engagement of non‐governmental actors; and the political interests and dynamics. These factors are interrelated and interacting, and context dependent. Identifying these common causes of implementation gaps provides a foundation for future analysis, but also points to factors worthy of consideration when designing policies. Hence, this review is of value to academics, policymakers and other practitioners working on environmental policy issues in LMICs.\n"]

  June 03, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70068   open full text
• Towards Transformative Climate Governance: Capacities and Constraints for Local Government in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  Gangadari K. Ranawaka, Anna L. Berka, Karen F. Hytten, Florentine D. van Noppen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 02, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nAn emerging consensus calls for transformative climate governance. However, what instigates and sustains transformative pathways remains unclear. This study characterises the existence, quality and structural underpinnings of transformative governance capacities in local government climate change response in Aotearoa New Zealand, applying a well‐established conceptual framework for transformative governance to existing literature. Results show that some local authorities have started to develop ‘stewarding’, ‘unlocking’, ‘orchestrating’, and ‘transformative’ capacities, focusing on adaptation more than mitigation. This evidence stems from a small number of urban centres and regional areas with a strong presence of indigenous (Māori) communities. Most evidence points to the development of ‘stewarding capacity’, showing that local governments are building an evidence base around understanding climate risks in collaboration with communities and knowledge partners. Beyond biophysical monitoring, however, there was limited evidence of monitoring and learning. Literature documenting ‘unlocking capacity’ shows that local governments have tried a variety of activities to overcome resistance to change. However, the literature also points to limited efforts to identify the drivers of unsustainable practices, few mechanisms for challenging vested interests and existing incentive structures, and a need for stronger accountability mechanisms in decision‐making. Results underscore a lack of co‐ordination and empowerment of actors to engage in adaptation or mitigation. Overall, capacity development was enabled by applied research projects, with ad‐hoc local government‐led initiatives and state government incentive schemes also playing a role, and was constrained by a wide range of institutional, regulatory, economic, and social factors ‐ consistent with a country at the formative stages of decentralised climate policy implementation. We contextualise the findings in relation to international literature and practices, pointing to opportunities to further develop local government capacity for transformative governance.\n"]

  June 02, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70105   open full text
• Ecological Institutional Failure in Local Governments: Rethinking Environmental Governance in Decentralized Indonesia.
  Isnaini Muallidin.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 31, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDespite decentralization, Indonesian local governments persistently fail to deliver environmental outcomes. This article asks: why do institutional architectures systematically disable ecological responsiveness despite formal mandates? Introducing ecological institutional failure (EIF), the study develops a diagnostic framework moving beyond capacity‐centric explanations. Based on document analysis of planning documents, budgets, and performance evaluations across five regencies, Sleman, Banjarmasin, Kutai Kartanegara, Sumbawa, and Wakatobi, the research identifies three mechanisms reproducing failure: symbolic compliance (performative commitment without substantive change), structural disjunction (fragmented mandates misaligned with ecological imperatives), and inertial governance (ritualized activity simulating motion without transformation). Rather than lacking resources, local governments exhibit overproduction of forms that obscure systemic inaction. Drawing on institutional theory and ecological governance literature, the article reframes governance failure as strategic maintenance of bureaucratic comfort zones, contributing to debates on environmental governance in the Global South.\n"]

  May 31, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70106   open full text
• Radical Listening as a Governance Innovation: Integrating Planetary Health and Community‐Led Forest Conservation in Indonesia.
  Angie Hsu, Nur Febriani, Luce Alvafritz, Firdani Asri.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 31, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWhile REDD+ prioritizes carbon sequestration, its narrow focus often overlooks forest‐health linkages critical to community well‐being. This paper examines the holistic model of Health in Harmony (HIH) and Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI), which integrates forest conservation with healthcare through radical listening—a decolonial community engagement approach that centers indigenous expertise and challenges historical injustices. In Indonesian Borneo (2007–2017), Radical Listening revealed that lack of healthcare access was a primary driver of logging. Community‐defined interventions, from livelihood trainings to healthcare‐for‐conservation programs, led to a 70% reduction in forest loss, a 67% drop in infant mortality, and significant reforestation accompanied by the return of endangered wildlife. Recent RL sessions across Papua and West Papua (2021–2024), engaging 346 participants from 29 communities, surfaced context‐specific priorities from healthcare to Indigenous‐led restoration, confirming the replicability of HIH‐ASRI's approach. We argue that Radical Listening functions as a governance innovation that (1) identifies deeper systemic leverage points by diagnosing root causes; (2) enables the design of non‐market, holistic natural climate solutions (NCS) that simultaneously restore ecosystems and advance health equity; and (3) advances procedural and epistemic justice by redistributing authority to indigenous communities. This paper offers a scalable, community‐led framework for reorienting climate and conservation policy toward safeguarding planetary health in Southeast Asia and beyond.\n"]

  May 31, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70099   open full text
• Steering Industrial Decarbonisation: Explaining OECD Policy Variation.
  Ebba Minas.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 27, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe ongoing rise in CO2 emissions driven by energy‐intensive industries highlights the urgent need for targeted policy interventions, with national strategies playing a crucial role in the low‐carbon transition. However, the factors that shape the ambition of industrial decarbonisation policies remain poorly understood. Previous research suggests that this sector presents significant challenges for policymakers. In this study, I argue that a deeper understanding of the state‐industry dynamics that influence policymaking is essential to explain the variation in policy ambition across countries. By analysing the policy output of 29 OECD countries from 1990 to 2022, the findings reveal that corporatism and left‐leaning governments positively influence policy output—especially in the case of hard policies. Together, the results highlight the independent roles of institutional coordination and partisan orientation in shaping industrial climate governance.\n"]

  May 27, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70098   open full text
• Varieties of Local Implementation for Net Zero in China: Evidence From Three Cities.
  Ting Guan, Ziwei Gou, Yixian Sun.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 24, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSince China updated its nationally determined contributions in 2021, achieving carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060—the so‐called “dual carbon” goals—has become the new guiding principle of China's climate governance. However, few studies have examined the implementation of China's dual carbon goals, particularly the variation at the subnational level. To bridge this knowledge gap, we investigate the strategies to implement the dual carbon goals in three Chinese cities with different economic and institutional conditions: Changji, Huzhou, and Guangzhou. Drawing on data from policy documents, media reports, and field interviews, we identify distinctive governance models adopted by the three city governments, shaped by their respective local contexts. Based on our inductive case studies, we propose a political economy framework that highlights three key factors—economic structure, local government commitment and prior experience, and the influence of non‐state actors—to explain variation in net‐zero implementation across Chinese cities. By unpacking the dynamics of local adaptation and innovation in net‐zero governance, our study contributes to the theoretical debate on polycentricity in China's climate governance.\n"]

  May 24, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70101   open full text
• Power, (De)Politicisation and Polycentric Governance: Evidence From UK Local Climate Policy.
  Timea Nochta, Samuel Warner, Louise Reardon.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 24, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article extends (de)politicisation theory to elucidate power dynamics in polycentric governance. It develops an original analytical framework to empirically investigate how governmental, societal and discursive (de)politicisation processes emerge within and across decision‐making centres. The framework focuses on dimensions of technocracy, pluralism, power and authority and ‘fire alarms’ and political sanctions associated with issue salience. It restores analytical focus on power asymmetries and links these asymmetries to the conditions under which polycentric governance becomes either merely formal (many centres) or substantive (centres with authority, resources, visibility and horizontal linkages). Using a longitudinal case study of climate governance in Birmingham (United Kingdom), we illustrate how waves of politicisation and depoliticisation operate to (re)distribute power with tangible implications for local climate change mitigation and net zero agendas and pathways for delivery. We conclude that delivering ‘net zero’ implies the need for deliberate strategies to strengthen substantive polycentricity in UK domestic climate policy and governance.\n"]

  May 24, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70102   open full text
• Beyond Contradiction: “Weak Consistency” as Policy Divergence in China's Multilevel Renewable Energy Governance.
  Xingting Huang, Yu Yang.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 21, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nEnsuring vertical policy consistency is essential for achieving China's “dual carbon” goals and energy transition, yet it is complicated by a top‐down, multilevel governance system. A comprehensive understanding of consistency between national and provincial renewable energy policy mixes remains a key research gap. This study addresses this gap by developing an analytical framework that conceptualizes consistency as a unidirectional relationship focusing on the provincial‐level response to central directives. We analyzed 398 renewable energy policy documents to assess vertical policy consistency across three key interactions: national‐provincial strategies, national‐provincial instruments, and national strategies‐provincial instruments. Our findings reveal a truncated spectrum of policy interaction: inconsistency is absent, and divergence consistently manifests as weak consistency. While we observed strong consistency at the strategic level, significant substantive implementation gaps emerged at the instrument level. This non‐linear relationship is rooted in China's unique central‐provincial dynamics—specifically the tension between centralized political control and provincial economic decentralization. Provincial governments often employ feigned compliance to balance rigid top‐down mandates with regional economic interests. These findings refine Western‐centric policy mix theories for unitary systems. We demonstrate that the weak consistency and dynamic of feigned compliance are typical governance features across China's broader energy industries and public policy sectors. Consequently, the theoretical and practical focus should shift from preventing negative interactions to addressing the substantive implementation gaps caused by selective implementation.\n"]

  May 21, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70104   open full text
• Constructing Policy (In)coherence in Germany's Energy Transition and Impacts on (In)equality.
  Alexia Faus Onbargi, Ines Dombrowsky.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 20, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nPolicy coherence is widely regarded as essential for achieving sustainable development, climate targets, and reducing inequality, as reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recent scholarship has moved beyond technocratic approaches, drawing on comparative politics, particularly the “3 I's” of ideas, interests, and institutions, to highlight the inherently political nature of coherence. Yet even these studies often treat coherence as binary, easily observable, and intrinsically beneficial. Building on a coherence literature focused on discourses and frames, this paper challenges these assumptions by examining how policy (in)coherence is constructed and contested. Focusing on policy implementation in North Rhine‐Westphalia, Germany's coal heartland, we analyse two cases before and during the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine: the commissioning of the Datteln IV hard coal plant in 2020, and the clearance of the village of Lützerath for mining in 2023. Drawing on 28 semi‐structured interviews with German energy, climate, and environmental experts, alongside policy and media analysis, we find that (in)coherence is greatly constructed and contested under shifting political and economic pressures, instrumentalised and legitimisatised by different actors to advance their interests, and profoundly shaped by temporal dynamics. Given recent findings that challenge the 2030 Agenda's assumption that policy coherence reduces inequalities, we also explore how (in)coherence is perceived to shape multidimensional inequality in the Energiewende more broadly. Here, we find that (in)coherence is most prominently perceived to cause delays in climate mitigation, disproportionately affecting youth, low‐income households, migrants, and activists. In this context, (in)coherence is not merely technical, political nor constructed, but fundamentally a matter of justice, shifting the analytical focus from whether policies and their implementation are coherent to how, and for whom, coherence matters.\n"]

  May 20, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70083   open full text
• Making Sense of the Bioeconomy: A Critical Analysis of EU Policy Narratives and Responses.
  Elena Zepharovich, Zora Kovacic, Thomas Völker, Paloma Yáñez‐Serrano, Ângela Guimarães Pereira.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 20, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe bioeconomy has become an increasingly popular concept in European Union (EU) policy, promising sustainable growth, job creation, and reduced environmental impacts. Yet its meaning remains contested, ambiguous, and politically charged. This study critically examines how EU bioeconomy policy narratives prior to 2025 construct this concept and how the extended peer community makes sense of, negotiates, and critiques these narratives through a boundary object lens. By combining narrative analysis with in‐depth interviews and an exploratory workshop, we identify nine distinct policy narratives. While many reproduce the familiar bio‐resource storylines, others fall within the Eco‐Retreat option space or frame the bioeconomy primarily as a policy‐making exercise, revealing greater complexity than previous studies suggest. The findings show a clear discrepancy between the EU's open‐structured narratives and the more grounded, discipline‐specific interpretations of practitioners and experts. Members of the extended peer community both appropriate and challenge the concept; some embrace its flexibility and coalition‐building potential, endorsing its environmental sustainability, social benefits, and growth prospects, while others question its scope, plausibility, and credibility, pointing to overlooked trade‐offs, unrealistic expectations, and unresolved normative commitments. Using the boundary object lens, the bioeconomy is seen as enabling political convergence across diverse interests, albeit at the expense of conceptual clarity. While this ambiguity supports broad alignment, it may also mask underlying conflicts and limit transformative potential. The study argues that embracing rather than smoothing over discord could strengthen the robustness and legitimacy of future bioeconomy governance, while acknowledging that this might be politically difficult.\n"]

  May 20, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70100   open full text
• From Crisis to Capacity: Adaptive Governance for Natural Resource Management in Iran.
  Iman Islami, Kristina Janečková, Petr Sklenička, Nicolae Ajtai, Christine Fuerst, Imaneh Goli, Hossein Azadi.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 14, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe degradation of natural resources, driven by rapid urbanization and population growth, presents profound challenges to biodiversity and sustainable development. This study proposes a strategic framework for adaptive governance of natural resources, emphasizing the integration of institutional capacity, leadership, and institutional work. Employing Social Network Analysis (SNA), the research investigates governance structures within Fars Province, Iran. The results showed that the network had moderate density (0.497 on a scale of 0 to 1, where 1 indicates complete connectivity), a clustering coefficient of zero (0.000), indicating no triadic closure, and high external centralization (55.57%, meaning more than half of the network's power is concentrated in external actors). These characteristics reflect weak inter‐organizational coordination, fragile cooperation, and excessive reliance on a few dominant institutions. The average path length of 2.047 steps further indicates slow information flow and limited responsiveness. These structural weaknesses collectively impede effective resource management. The proposed framework advocates for polycentric governance, enhanced institutional connectivity, decentralization of authority, and the incorporation of adaptive governance principles to bolster resilience and responsiveness. By synthesizing theoretical insights with empirical evidence, the study offers actionable strategies to improve natural resource governance, thereby contributing to sustainable environmental management and social equity. This study underscores the necessity of a holistic approach that addresses the complexities of socio‐ecological systems, providing a comprehensive roadmap for policymakers and practitioners.\n"]

  May 14, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70096   open full text
• From External Intervention to Endogenous Resilience: NGO Pathways to Adaptive Environmental Governance in State—Centric Settings.
  Jingjing Cai, Ling Dai.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 12, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nExternal nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play a pivotal role in rural environmental governance, yet little is known about how they navigate multilevel institutional barriers to enhance villages' self‐organized ecological governance. This study examines an environmental NGO in rural China to uncover the mechanisms through which exogenous actors activate endogenous governance capacity. Findings show that the NGO strengthened grassroots governance by enhancing actor interaction and performance through three interrelated mechanisms: a system‐integration mechanism leveraging multichannel embedding, an agenda‐setting mechanism combining community‐space cultivation with embedded deliberation, and a capacity‐absorption mechanism linking technical and conceptual support with trust‐building. Effective intervention also depended on professional and ethical conditions—professionalism in balancing human–nature tensions, and ethical engagement rooted in community‐based affective governance and individual self‐realization. Moreover, the NGO employed legitimacy strategies to resolve integration dilemmas, fostered villager agency through people‐centered approaches, provided alternative livelihoods to mitigate human–wildlife conflict, and promoted village organizational structures and equitable benefit‐sharing. Collectively, these mechanisms enhanced the adaptability and resilience of village self‐governance under institutional diversity and external shocks. The study offers practical insights for context‐sensitive rural development initiatives, such as China's “Ten‐Thousand Villages” program, and contributes to theoretical understanding of modernized, adaptive environmental governance in state‐centric, resource‐constrained settings.\n"]

  May 12, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70095   open full text
• The Dynamics of the Policy Mix and Sectoral Gaps in South Korea's Decarbonization Transition.
  Yong Hwan Kim, Kyung Nam Kim.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 11, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWhile a coherent policy mix is a fundamental prerequisite for successful energy transitions, existing frameworks predominantly rely on static evaluations. This horizontal approach fails to capture the deep temporal dynamics and physical inertia inherent in socio‐technical regime shifts. To address this gap, we conceptualize a five‐stage dynamic policy chain and track South Korea's macro‐systemic transition trajectory (2000–2022) across three key sectors (industrial, transport, and residential/building) using a dynamic cross‐correlation function (CCF). Here we demonstrate that South Korea's upstream policy inputs suffer from severe structural friction, creating an “illusion of innovation.” Although technology‐push policies induce simultaneous patent generation, these intangible outputs fail to translate into downstream physical deployment. Rather, actual deployment stages reveal highly divergent temporal trajectories. Notably, the transport and residential/building sectors exhibit substantial negative lags and reverse causality, revealing that rigid physical inertia forces policies to merely react rather than lead. Consequently, the mechanical tautology between expanding energy demand and carbon emissions remains unbroken over two decades, illustrating how deeply entrenched the carbon lock‐in remains. To dismantle these structural bottlenecks, policymakers must shift from static policy combinations to “dynamic sequencing”—precisely orchestrating the timing of interventions to match the distinct paces of different sectors.\n"]

  May 11, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70097   open full text
• Learning Networks Drive Environmental Innovation: Evidence From Fourth‐Stage Purification Diffusion.
  Simon Bulian, Jale Tosun, Katrina Smith Korfmacher, Theresa Baur.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 11, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nContaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, threaten water quality globally. In the European Union (EU), until the adoption of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive in 2024, a regulatory gap had left the member states and the municipalities in them without binding removal standards. Nonetheless, cities in the German state of Baden‐Württemberg had voluntarily upgraded wastewater treatment plants to include a fourth purification stage. This study investigates whether institutionalized peer learning forums—wastewater treatment plant neighborhoods (WTPNs)—drove this diffusion in the absence of a legal mandate. We hypothesize that epistemic learning within WTPNs is the primary diffusion mechanism. Using Cox regression models (N = 14,636 municipality‐years, 2009–2022) combined with six expert interviews, we find that membership in a WTPN containing a prior adopter increases a municipality's upgrade probability substantially. Qualitative evidence confirms that this effect operates through structured epistemic learning, including “teacher”–“student” role differentiation, designated contacts, and iterative knowledge exchange. We conclude that formalized learning institutions can drive voluntary environmental innovation even without regulatory mandates, and recommend strengthening such forums as EU member states implement the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.\n"]

  May 11, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70094   open full text
• Integrating Social and Ecological Dimensions in Fisheries Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Assessment Frameworks.
  Leonora Fernanda Mondragón‐Sánchez, Juan Carlos Pérez‐Jiménez, Edgar Torres‐Irineo.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 08, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nConventional fisheries assessments, traditionally based on production and structural models, have shown limitations in addressing the complexity of fisheries. Holistic approaches that integrate ecological, social, and governance dimensions are increasingly promoted under the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) and the social‐ecological systems (SES) framework. This study compares four frameworks: (1) Fishery Improvement Projects with the Social Responsibility Assessment Tool (FIP‐SRAT), (2) Rapfish, (3) Principles for Investment in Sustainable Wild‐Caught Fisheries (PIS), and (4) Healthcheck, evaluating their objectives, indicators, and alignment with Ostrom's SES subsystems and EAF. A total of 179 specific indicators (132 social, 47 ecological) were consolidated into 29 integral indicators and classified by SES subsystems. Analyses included similarity testing (ANOSIM) and cluster analysis. Results show no significant differences between frameworks overall, but strong differences between social and ecological components and among subsystems, with social indicators predominating. Three integral indicators, definition of responsibilities, evaluation of governance mechanisms, and targeted population assessment, were common to all frameworks. Literature review revealed uneven application: FIP is most widely implemented, particularly in Latin America, while PIS lacks published case studies. Although each framework emerged from distinct institutional and geographic contexts, all contribute to advancing EAF principles by addressing dimensions absent in conventional assessments, such as human rights, equity, and governance quality. However, differences in metrics and indicator coverage may limit comparability. These findings highlight the potential and challenges of integrating social and ecological dimensions in fisheries assessment, and the need for adaptive, context‐sensitive frameworks to support fisheries sustainability.\n"]

  May 08, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70090   open full text
• Deconstructing Identity Politics in Forest Governance Through Women‐Led Conservation Movements of South Asia.
  Debashrita Mazumder, Vishnupriya Santhosh, Kanchan Jaswal, Abhilash Dutta Roy.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nForest governance in South Asia is shaped by long‐standing conflicts between state control and forest‐dependent communities, a legacy of colonial policies that were intended to marginalise Indigenous rights. Within these conflicts, women play a central but often overlooked role as primary users of many non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) and carriers of traditional ecological knowledge from generations. This review examines postcolonial women‐led forest rights movements in South Asia through the lens of political ecology and intersectionality by drawing on case studies such as Baiga, Dongria Kondh, and Khasi tribes of India, community forestry user groups in Nepal, collaborative forest management initiatives in Bangladesh, and the current situation in Bhutan and Sri Lanka. We find many similarities across these diverse countries and contexts including entrenched gender norms, caste hierarchies and customary tenure systems that intersect to constrain women's participation in decision‐making in local social forestry bodies, even in situations where legal frameworks intend to promote inclusivity and equity. Women have often emerged as leaders of grassroots mobilization by defending customary rights and resisting deforestation by challenging timber and mining industries, at times being actively supported by their male counterparts. Some studies also suggest that when women secure leadership in local forest governance, both forest health and community well‐being improve significantly. However, these gains still remain fragile as they are often undermined by multiple factors, including inefficient bureaucracy, elite capture, and market pressures. We also find evidence of how tokenistic inclusion of women in local forest governance bodies contrasts with transformative outcomes achieved through forest rights movements. The studies examined by us emphasize the need to revisit local forest governance models and move beyond quotas to rethink the distribution of power and resources more equitably among men and women at the grassroot levels.\n"]

  May 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70089   open full text
• Letting People in: Redefining Collaboration in Wildland–Urban Interface Governance.
  Clara Mosso, Harrison Fried, Karissa Courtney, Jonathan Salerno, Stephanie Kampf, Andrea Baudoin Farah.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIntensifying wildfire regimes and expanding human settlements into wilderness areas have heightened concerns about the wildland–urban interface (WUI) due to the associated increase in fire risk. However, the WUI presents broader social‐ecological challenges that go beyond wildfire risk and remain understudied. We assessed two WUI governance systems to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. Our approach considers WUI areas as complex social‐ecological systems and the challenges of WUI planning and management as a wicked problem. Specifically, we focus on collaboration and participatory processes within WUI governance, recognizing their potential to integrate broader perspectives and facilitate the co‐production of knowledge that characterizes transdisciplinary approaches. Results from policy analysis and semi‐structured interviews suggest that WUI governance systems in Colorado (US) and Neuquén (Argentina) present a mix of opportunities and challenges for advancing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI management. Reflexive policies (flexible and adaptable) based on minimum standards and legal sunsets (periods for policy revision and adaptation) emerged as adaptive governance enablers in both systems. However, ambiguity in the definition of social‐ecological boundaries and the way in which participatory processes are currently implemented represent important challenges to adaptive governance and transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. We suggest that, to advance a more comprehensive management of WUI areas, WUI governance systems (including actors, legal frameworks, processes, etc.) should emphasize collaboration and participatory processes, facilitating active forms of community participation and the co‐development of WUI management objectives.\n"]

  May 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70093   open full text
• When Policy Is the Hazard: Institutional Legitimacy and Climate Risk Attribution Among Farmers in Water Stressed California.
  M. Anne Visser, Jordan Pantano, Grace Kumetat, Julia Marhenke.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 06, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study examines how farmers perceive and respond to climate policy risk in the context of drought and argues that understanding such responses is as important as understanding farmer reactions to the biophysical impacts of climate change. Drawing on a 5‐year longitudinal case study in California's Tulare Lake Basin, we analyze farmers' climate risk perceptions, adaptive behaviors, and responses to water governance policy through an integrated theoretical framework. We organize our analysis around three propositions: that climate risk perception is institutionally mediated; that adaptive capacity is socially structured; and that perceived policy legitimacy mediates the relationship between risk awareness and adaptive action. Our findings show that farmers consistently attribute water scarcity to governance failures rather than biophysical climate change, effectively decoupling drought experience from climate attribution, and that perceived procedural fairness, institutional flexibility, and governance responsiveness are stronger predictors of adaptive engagement than biophysical risk exposure or individual climate change beliefs. Findings of the analysis underscore the need for procedurally just and contextually sensitive natural resource governance frameworks to support agricultural resilience in water‐stressed regions.\n"]

  May 06, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70088   open full text
• Coherence Between Climate and Land Use Policies of the European Union, Brazil, and Indonesia: A Primer to Analyze Potential GHG Leakage.
  Heiner von Lüpke, Claudia Azevedo‐Ramos, Dwi Laraswati, Ahmad Maryudi, Christina Ayu, Nilo Wijaya, Rio Sopaheluwakan, Daniel Kübler, Richard Fischer.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 05, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIncoherence between national land use policies may weaken climate mitigation efforts by creating conditions under which agricultural and forestry production and GHG emissions are displaced across borders (leakage). Coherence depends on constellations and prioritization of national policy aims in land use (production) and climate (conservation). We assess policy coherence in the land use sectors of major agriculture and forestry trading partners—EU, Brazil, and Indonesia and discuss whether this can possibly cause international production displacement and GHG emission leakage. We selected top‐level national policies in the land use and climate policy domains of the three jurisdictions, coded and rated policy aims, and compared relationships of production and conservation aims. Results show that EU prioritizes conservation over production; Brazil also emphasizes conservation, though to a lesser extent; Indonesia has a balanced ratio between production and conservation goals. We conclude that differing policy priorities may indeed encourage shifts in production from the EU to countries like Brazil and Indonesia, potentially leading to GHG emission leakage and raising concerns about the ecological integrity of the EU Green Deal. We recommend integrating leakage impact assessments into policy design and identifying ways to better align production and conservation goals domestically in countries to prevent displacement and leakage.\n"]

  May 05, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70084   open full text
• Climate Adaptation Policy and Environmental Governance Gaps in Fragile States: Insights From Somalia.
  Mohamed Yusuf Adan, Said Abubakar Ahmed.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 05, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nClimate adaptation has become an important policy priority in fragile and conflict‐affected states, yet the implementation of adaptation policies often remains weak. This study examines the governance and institutional factors that contribute to adaptation policy implementation gaps in Somalia. Using Somalia as an in‐depth qualitative case, the study draws on secondary data from national policy documents, reports by international organizations, and peer‐reviewed literature published between 2012 and 2024. Guided by an environmental governance perspective, the analysis focuses on how institutional arrangements, coordination systems, financing patterns, and state‐society relations shape the implementation of adaptation policy in practice. The findings show that Somalia has made progress in developing adaptation‐related policy frameworks across key vulnerability sectors, including water, agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and climate‐sensitive livelihoods. However, implementation remains constrained by fragmented institutional mandates, weak coordination across sectors and levels of government, limited technical and monitoring capacity, dependence on donor‐funded project cycles, and insufficient involvement of local authorities and communities. These factors create a persistent gap between formal policy commitment and operational delivery. The study argues that adaptation policy implementation in fragile states is shaped not only by policy design, but by the broader conditions of state‐building, governance consolidation, and donor‐state relations. By showing how adaptation governance unfolds within evolving and contested institutional settings, the paper offers a more context‐sensitive understanding of why implementation gaps persist in fragile states such as Somalia.\n"]

  May 05, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70087   open full text
• A Novel Multilevel Conceptual Framework for Flood Risk Governance.
  Aiperi Stambekova, Avidesh Seenath.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 04, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGlobally, flood risk is increasing as climate change progresses. Contemporary flood risk management practice often utilises hydrodynamic modelling (for hazard risk assessments), social vulnerability assessments, and risk communications in silo, which fragments evidence‐based decision‐making for effective flood risk management. We hence develop a multilevel flood risk governance framework that integrates flood Hazard modelling (H$$ H $$), social Vulnerability assessments (V$$ V $$) and risk Communication (C$$ C $$) through three cores, three pairwise interfaces, and a central decision‐ready space. We provide a conceptual illustration of how the framework can be operationalised before discussing the wider theoretical and practical implications of it in terms of its ability to better guide flood risk governance. Our conceptual framework treats C$$ C $$ as coequal with H$$ H $$ and V$$ V $$ and specifies information flows between them to support more timely, accountable decisions for flood risk governance. Our illustration outlines a minimal‐data workflow based on open‐access data sources and transparent assumptions, showing how uncertainty at different stages can be presented and acted upon in resource and capacity‐constrained environments.\n"]

  May 04, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70086   open full text
• Orchestration of Climate Action in Municipalities: A Collective Capacity Approach.
  Maija Faehnle, Hanna Nieminen, Jani P. Lukkarinen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 02, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nMunicipalities are increasingly positioned as key actors in enabling local climate action, yet their ability to mobilise societal actors remains insufficiently understood. This study examines how municipal officials in six Finnish municipalities from different local contexts understand and operationalise collective capacity for climate action, with particular attention to how they orchestrate collaboration within the administration, with residents and other local actors and beyond municipal boundaries. Building on capacity building and transition governance literatures, we developed an analytical framework distinguishing three domains of collective capacity: identification (knowledge formation and problem framing), visioning (strategic orientation and mobilisation), and implementation (action and policy steering). Drawing on semi‐structured group interviews and document analysis, we analyse how climate action is orchestrated by municipalities, showing marked variation in emphases across municipalities. Cities emphasise identification through institutional networks and sustainability projects; rural municipalities and small towns emphasise implementation practises through interaction between public officials and residents. Promising practises across domains seldom cohere into systemic orchestration aligning institutional and community‐based dynamics. We argue that progressing towards systemic orchestration requires municipalities to shift from fragmented or project‐based interventions to reflexive coordination across domains. Systematising local knowledge integration, supporting multi‐actor experimentation, and extending temporal continuity in engaging with local actors can help municipalities convert collective capacity into durable climate transitions.\n"]

  May 02, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70085   open full text
• Licensed Commoning and the Authoritarian Commons: Governing Participation in China's Community Gardens.
  Linjun Xie, Mengqi Shao, Gaohan Deng.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 01, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nChina's environmental governance transition combines intensified vertical accountability and performance‐based management with expanding calls for public participation. However, despite growing demand for civic engagement, there remains limited understanding of how participatory environmental initiatives are structured and governed in practice. Drawing on multi‐sited ethnographic research on community gardens in Shanghai and Nanning, this paper argues that community‐based environmental initiatives in urban China increasingly operate through licensed commoning, a mode of collective stewardship in which participation is formally authorised, procedurally regulated, and conditionally delegated by state actors. The analysis shows that community gardens are shaped by procurement contracts, performance indicators, and intermediary organisations that structure who may participate, how responsibilities are allocated, and how outcomes are evaluated. Licensed commoning enables rapid scaling, policy alignment, and short‐term stability, but it also constrains relational autonomy and shifts long‐term governance risks onto communities and civil society actors. Comparative evidence further reveals that more embedded forms of commoning, characterised by informal authorisation and dense relational practices, can sustain deeper collective engagement, yet remain institutionally fragile and vulnerable to administrative intervention. By conceptualising licensed commoning as a distinct governance modality, the paper contributes to debates on environmental participation, multilevel governance, and accountability in authoritarian contexts. Empirically, it demonstrates that participation in China's environmental transition is neither purely bottom‐up nor simply co‐opted, but actively produced and governed through auditable and revocable arrangements that shape both the possibilities and limits of collective environmental action.\n"]

  May 01, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70079   open full text
• Policy Integration for Enabling Environments: Decentralised Water Technologies for Rural Water Reuse.
  Elizabeth Lawson, Jaime Amezaga.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 01, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWater reuse holds significant promise for addressing global water challenges, yet wide scale implementation remains limited. Decentralised water technologies for reuse have been highlighted as a potential aide in the reduction of water challenges, specifically for environments that have typically been considered ‘water rich’, and in rural areas that are currently outside the reach of large‐scale centralised networks. Yet for many, a number of challenges remain, with the current policy landscape remaining unsupportive for the creation of an enabling environment. Policy integration is used as a theoretical and analytical framework to explore how enabling environments for decentralised water reuse are, or are not, created in rural and island Scotland. The analysis examines how cross‐sectoral coordination across water, planning, rural development and climate policy shapes the potential for water reuse initiatives, highlighting both institutional fragmentation and emerging opportunities. Through this lens, key policy drivers, gaps and tensions are identified, and alternative pathways for more coherent support of decentralised technologies and systems are traced. Recommendations to strengthen integration mechanisms, reduce governance fragmentation and better align rural water, climate and land‐use agendas are provided.\n"]

  May 01, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70080   open full text
• Enabling a Circular Water Transition: Identifying Governance Pathways for Wastewater Reuse.
  Kirsty Holstead, Katrin Pakizer, Nicolas W. Jager, Eva Lieberherr, Manuel Fischer.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 01, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nOver 80% of the world's wastewater is discharged untreated, making reuse a widely underutilised strategy for addressing water scarcity. Due to the complexity of implementing water reuse systems, supportive governance conditions are required to steer this process and overcome barriers. Insights from water governance and sustainability transitions literature suggest that configurations of governance‐related conditions, such as the extent of regulatory certainty, economic incentives, social acceptance, innovation capacity and contextual conditions of water scarcity, influence water reuse. Previous research has explored the barriers to water reuse, focusing on isolated case studies leaving the question of how these conditions interact to enable implementation largely unresolved. This study applies Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis across 15 international cases to identify configurations of conditions that enable water reuse, moving beyond individual drivers to map archetypal pathways. We found three distinct pathways to successful implementation. First, low regulatory uncertainty alone was sufficient to enable reuse, underscoring the foundational role of regulatory frameworks. Second, high social acceptance—rooted in public trust, engagement, and participatory design—can compensate for the absence of financial incentives, particularly in European contexts. However, this may be less applicable in resource‐constrained settings. The third and most globally distributed pathway confirms that water scarcity can drive reuse, but only when accompanied by social and technical readiness. The third and most globally distributed pathway confirms that water scarcity can drive reuse, but only when accompanied by social and technical readiness involving technical knowledge, skills training, interdisciplinary collaboration and opportunities for experimentation. Notably, neither water scarcity nor financial incentives emerged as necessary conditions for successful implementation across all pathways. These findings challenge commonly held assumptions about what drives water reuse and offer a more nuanced understanding of the governance configurations that can support water reuse.\n"]

  May 01, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70069   open full text
• Does Subnational Climate Action Trigger a Tipping Point? Catalytic Cascading and Vertical Policy Diffusion in the Net‐Zero Transition.
  Angel Hsu, Diego Manya, Nihit Goyal.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 01, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSubnational climate commitments are widely viewed as potential catalysts of national climate ambition, yet systematic evidence on whether and under what conditions subnational action shapes national target‐setting remains limited. We introduce the concept of catalytic cascading to describe a cumulative process in which expanding policy commitments change the likelihood of subsequent policy commitment, even at a different jurisdictional level, through reinforcing top‐down, horizontal, and bottom‐up dynamics, without necessarily following an abrupt threshold or tipping behavior. We examine this theory through the lens of vertical policy diffusion, assessing whether subnational net‐zero target declarations are associated with later national net‐zero adoption while accounting for country characteristics and cross‐national peer influences. Using a novel global time‐series dataset of national and subnational net‐zero targets, we estimate discrete‐time adoption models using a directed country‐pair (dyad–time) event history design that incorporates dyad‐specific similarity and exposure measures alongside within‐country subnational coverage. Across specifications, the share of a country's population, GDP, or greenhouse gas emissions covered by subnational net‐zero commitments is positively and statistically significantly associated with the probability of national target adoption. The estimated relationship is gradual and monotonic rather than characterized by a sharp inflection, suggesting that bottom‐up influence operates through cumulative reinforcement rather than threshold acceleration in this setting. These findings provide empirical support for catalytic cascading as an observable bottom‐up linkage within polycentric climate governance and clarify the conditions under which subnational momentum is plausibly consequential for national target‐setting.\n"]

  May 01, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70078   open full text
• Governing Positive Energy Districts: The Role of Legitimation and Identity Across Residential and Industrial Contexts.
  Jussi Valta, Tuomas Vanhanen, Tuomo Joensuu, Saku Mäkinen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 29, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nIncreasing electricity demand from data centres, industrial applications, electric vehicles and domestic heating is creating pressure to develop electricity systems in many parts of the world, but especially in Western countries. In response to challenges such as grid congestion, interconnection queues and climate‐related hazards, network operators, municipalities and entrepreneurs are turning their attention to local solutions. Positive energy districts (PEDs) are emerging as a prominent new organisational model to implement these solutions. The main objective of a PED is to achieve net‐zero emissions on an annual basis, which requires investments in local energy production and its flexible use. However, their success is not guaranteed, as they must overcome the ‘liability of newness’. PEDs require strong policy support and a shared understanding among diverse stakeholders, who often have conflicting business objectives and interests. This article examines the legitimation processes of four distinct frontrunner PED projects in Finland and qualitatively analyses the challenges associated with their legitimation. Drawing on the ecosystem literature on legitimacy, we categorise legitimation efforts into identity creation, discursive legitimation and performative legitimation. The qualitative case analysis reveals that the primary legitimation challenges facing PEDs can be distilled into four identity‐creation dilemmas: (1) differentiation versus conformity in relationships with energy incumbents; (2) holistic versus focused scope; (3) top‐down versus bottom‐up governance; (4) balancing timescales and uncertainties through stability versus innovation. This paper contributes to the literature in two main ways. First, it explores the challenges that PEDs face in legitimising themselves. Second, it compares legitimation dynamics across industrial and residential PED contexts. The findings enhance our understanding of PED creation processes and can inform the development of more effective policy support to facilitate their diffusion.\n"]

  April 29, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70081   open full text
• A Network Approach to Support Sustainability Policy Coordination: Exploring Linkages Between Biodiversity Indicators and Essential Biodiversity Variables.
  André Mascarenhas, Jonas Geschke, Aidin Niamir, Graham W. Prescott, Katrin Vohland.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 303-317, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGlobal sustainability policy demands coordination among domain‐specific policies, yet a major challenge persists in policy monitoring and reporting, where various, often uncoordinated indicator initiatives exist. To address this challenge, we apply a network approach to investigate linkages between the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15, Life on Land), the indicators of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and those used in assessments of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). Network analysis is a well‐known tool but to the best of our knowledge remains largely unexplored to analyse indicator linkages. Our findings indicate limited interconnectivity (number and type of cross‐set linkages) among the selected indicator sets. Nevertheless, we identify direct network linkages showing that most SDG 15 indicators could draw upon data or other information (e.g., methodological) from Aichi indicators, IPBES indicators, or EBVs. Findings show the potential of EBVs to deliver policy‐relevant information, but this warrants further research. We identify indicators and EBVs with a key role in the network and discuss advantages and limitations of our network approach. We show the utility of the approach to linking multiple policy agendas, and argue that—if applied more widely—it can promote a more coordinated sustainability policy monitoring and reporting.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70054   open full text
• Conflicting Emotions, Environmental and Political Factors in Support for Local Environmental Morality Policies: Evidence From an Experiment on Wild Boars in Haifa.
  Itai Beeri.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 343-364, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nCan emotional responses help explain public support for local environmental morality policies? As cities increasingly contend with complex interspecies conflicts in densely populated urban settings, understanding the drivers of policy support becomes essential. While previous research has emphasized environmental perceptions and political orientations, this study introduces a novel psychological dimension: emotional responses toward urban wildlife. Emotions are not simply background noise to be managed—they are structured, meaningful appraisals that influence how individuals interpret their surroundings and evaluate policy choices. This article examines the case of wild boars in Haifa, Israel, where municipal efforts to manage human–wildlife relations have generated prolonged tensions among residents, officials, and advocacy groups. We conducted a large‐scale survey experiment in which respondents were randomly assigned to visual treatments—photographic stimuli designed to evoke specific emotions such as fear versus empathy and indifference versus curiosity. Participants then reported their level of support for two policies: the thinning of wild boars and the regulation of public feeding. Findings show that emotional responses significantly predict support for both policies, beyond the effects of political ideology and environmental concern. Moreover, certain emotional reactions can substitute for perceived ecological harm in shaping policy preferences—suggesting the presence of affective‐political compensation mechanisms. This study expands existing models of environmental policy support by integrating affective cognition as a central explanatory factor. It contributes to a growing interdisciplinary literature that views local governance not merely as institutional design, but as a socio‐emotional arena where competing moral, ecological, and political claims are negotiated.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70043   open full text
• The Role of the State and Actor Participation in Polycentric Governance: The Case of India's Renewable Energy Transitions.
  Pooja Vijay Ramamurthi.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 199-220, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nAn advanced exploration of polycentric climate governance is essential to achieve global mitigation goals. This study draws on social network analysis, surveys, and 86 qualitative interviews with policy actors in the Indian power sector. It investigates the role of the state in enabling or constraining actor participation versus the extent to which actors self‐organise into belief‐based coalitions to influence energy transition policy. By engaging with political economy frameworks, the paper furthers the literature on polycentric governance, unravelling actor interests and relationships. The results show that while India's power sector includes a diverse set of policy actors, they do not form coalitions based on shared policy beliefs. Rather, the central government plays a dominant role, influencing the extent to which different actors participate in the polycentric policy network. However, this central state apparatus itself is non‐monolithic with uneven power dynamics across its various agencies and ministries. The Indian government pushed ambitious clean energy policies to encourage self‐organisation between subnational government and private players. Civil society operates in a limited policy space, invited to participate to carry out the national energy transition policy agenda. The selective empowerment of actors by the central state has reshaped governance towards increased renewable energy adoption. However, the imbalanced participation of different actors may limit the potential for rapid and deep decarbonisation. Future work should study how an increasingly dominant private sector empowered by the state and a civil society that is nudged to the periphery impacts climate coalition building within polycentric networks.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70045   open full text
• Institutional Externalities and Collaborative Governance in the Cuyahoga River Watershed (CRW).
  Kahad Adamu.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 280-296, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nInstitutional externalities emerge when actors, such as individuals, government agencies, and firms, participate in multiple policy forums to address shared social–ecological dilemmas. These externalities occur when decisions or actions in one forum generate unintended consequences for actors' capacities to contribute to the functions, operations, or decisions of other forums. This study investigates institutional externalities in collaborative environmental governance by asking: How do institutional externalities manifest in collaborative interactions aimed at addressing watershed dilemmas, and what factors drive these externalities? Employing a mixed‐methods design that integrates secondary document analysis, a survey, and interviews, the study uses the Cuyahoga River Watershed (CRW) in Ohio, USA, as an empirical case. A conceptually grounded methodological framework was developed to quantify the externalities experienced by actors participating in multiple policy forums. Findings indicate that the governance structure within the CRW generates modest positive institutional externalities. This outcome may be explained by the concentration of governance in a small number of central forums within the CRW, the differentiated functions among forums, and the double‐edged roles of some forums, which can simultaneously facilitate collaboration and impose coordination burdens. The outcomes are also shaped by forum's type, mandates and the functional scope of forums. Additionally, assessing institutional externalities through multiple indicators provides a more nuanced understanding of collaborative dynamics than single indicators. This study advances our knowledge of institutional externalities in collaborative governance. Furthermore, it provides policymakers and resource managers with insights into designing effective and efficient governance structures for watersheds and other natural resources.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70046   open full text
• Shared Waters, Shared Responsibility: Solving Collective Action Problems in an Upstream‐Downstream Setting.
  Anna Bendz, Simon Matti, Patrik Öhberg.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 253-262, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe governance of shared water systems requires collaboration across diverse stakeholders. In this study we advance the theoretical understanding of asymmetric collective action problems (CAPs) by reassessing the role of third‐party interventions and emphasizing the strategic importance of policy brokers and institutional venues. Drawing on insights from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), we argue that policy brokers can play a pivotal role in bridging divides, fostering dialogue, and enabling “small‐scale” solutions within complex governance settings. Empirically, we examine a case from Sweden's largest water system, where municipalities with asymmetric upstream–downstream positions negotiated the creation of a Water Protection Area. The study is based on interviews with local decision‐makers. We illustrate how structural asymmetries in power, influence, and risk exposure, in combination with heterogeneous local interests, shape both incentives and capacities for cooperation. Our findings suggest that the presence—or even the perceived potential—of third‐party involvement may foster a more conducive environment for coordination. We conclude by underscoring the strategic role of policy brokers in mediating between actor coalitions and the significance of institutional venues as platforms for consensus‐building.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70048   open full text
• Exploring the Complementary Role of Voluntary Environmental Programs in Regulatory Governance: Evidence From South Korea.
  Jongdae Song, Youkyoung Jeong.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 263-279, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study investigates the derivative effects of voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) on regulatory activities, specifically focusing on South Korea's Self‐Policing Program for Environmentally Responsible Facilities (SPP). While VEPs are typically evaluated based on their environmental performance of participating firms, this research shifts attention to their broader influence on public regulatory practices and oversight of non‐participants. In particular, it explores how VEPs may shape enforcement strategies under conditions of limited governmental resources. Using panel data analysis, the study finds that participation in the SPP is positively associated with increased regulatory inspections and, indirectly, with a higher likelihood of detecting violations. These results suggest that VEPs can serve as informational tools for regulators, helping them to prioritize oversight and allocate enforcement resources more strategically. The findings highlight how VEPs can enhance the efficiency of regulatory governance not only through direct compliance gains but also by altering the behaviors of regulators and the treatment of non‐participating firms—an area largely overlooked in existing public management literature. This contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the promising role of VEPs in bolstering regulatory governance, particularly for governments grappling with aligning their regulatory capacity with growing public demands for stricter environmental regulations.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70049   open full text
• Policymakers' Perceptions of the Use of Deliberative Mini‐Publics to Support Sustainability Policies.
  Heli Saarikoski, Maria Ojanen, Mikael Hildén, Hanna Mela, Suvi Huttunen, Katariina Kulha, Katriina Soini, Jaana Sorvali.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 318-329, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nDeliberative mini‐publics (DMPs) have emerged as a novel method to deepen public participation in complex and contentious policy decisions, such as those related to sustainability transformations. Despite an increasing interest in applying DMPs in environmental governance, little is known about policymakers' expectations regarding their applicability and impact. We address this research gap by exploring policymakers' perceptions of DMPs in a sustainability policy context, drawing on a qualitative analysis of focus group and interview data with Finnish policymakers. The results show that policymakers welcome DMPs as a promising addition to the repertoire of public engagement methods but only in an occasional and consultative role, without a formal place in decision‐making. They felt that DMPs can promote active citizenship and reasoned debate, especially if they are combined with other participatory processes such as public hearings as well as wider communication processes that contribute to the deliberative capacity of the ‘maxi‐public’. At the same time, they were concerned over the representativeness of DMPs as well as citizens' capacities to grasp complex sustainability problems in a short time frame. A systematic collection of experiences from DMPs and regular reflection on their utility with policymakers would strengthen the role of DMPs in developing policies for sustainability transitions.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70051   open full text
• Institutionalizing Advisory Bodies in Climate Governance: Between Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency.
  David Talbot, Luc Bernier.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 330-342, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe implementation of effective climate governance increasingly relies on advisory bodies that monitor the effectiveness of policies and management mechanisms. Despite their strategic importance to institutionalizing climate governance, limited attention has been paid to the roles, trajectories, and effectiveness of these advisory bodies within evolving governance systems. This study aims to better understand the challenges of institutionalizing advisory boards in climate governance and examines the factors that may influence the evolution of the governance model. This article examines the institutionalization of climate advisory bodies within Quebec's climate governance between 2012 and 2023. This in‐depth case study is based on analyses of interviews (N = 31), briefs submitted during public hearings (N = 90), and press articles (N = 122). The study identified three main phases in the evolution of the governance structure and highlighted recurring and evolving issues related to the transparency and effectiveness of management processes. Drawing on the literature on institutional entrepreneurship and the life cycles of public organizations, the study shows how recurring tensions over mandates, resources, legitimacy, and performance monitoring have constrained advisory bodies' ability to support effective climate decision‐making. Despite repeated reforms, problems of transparency, accountability, and organizational effectiveness have persisted in various forms. This article contributes to research on climate governance by offering a process‐oriented analysis of advisory bodies as organizational actors embedded in complex institutional environments. This study highlights the limitations of frequent reforms aimed at integrating advisory organizations into climate governance systems.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70052   open full text
• Exploring the Spatial Dynamics of a Just Regional Energy Transition: What If We Ask Citizens?
  Simone Haarbosch, Sanneke Kloppenburg, Bas Van Vliet, Tamara Metze.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 240-252, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe installation of wind turbines and solar parks in valued rural landscapes has led to local concerns and perceived injustices to the extent that the societal acceptance of the energy transition is at stake. Although the literature on energy justice is blooming, research into citizens' understandings of justice with regards to regional energy transitions is rare. This paper examines the aspects citizens consider relevant when discussing a just energy transition in a regional context. Eleven focus groups, including 42 participants with various backgrounds, were conducted in four cities in the province of Overijssel, the Netherlands. The results show that citizens express justice claims by referring to spaces, places, and scales both within and beyond the region. From the perspective of citizens, regional energy transitions are both influenced by, and have an impact on, existing socio‐spatial inequalities at multiple levels, ranging from households to the entire world. Citizens also acknowledge that energy policies and changes made at one scale can create injustices at other scales, referring to the different impacts national subsidies have on rich and poor neighborhoods, or to different effects of implementing renewable energy facilities on rural landscapes and urban regions. Our findings illustrate the multi‐scalar character of justice concerns in regional energy transitions. A better understanding of the spatial justice considerations that are fundamental to the concerns of citizens can help improve policy processes and communication about regional energy transitions.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70044   open full text
• Successful Implementation of Environmental Policy and Governance: Understanding and Modeling Micro Governance.
  Diana Giebels, Arend Ligtenberg, Martha Bakker.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 221-239, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nSuccessful implementation of environmental policy and governance highly depends on the capacity to know about, build new and utilize existing governance structures. However, the theoretical tools and available methods to assess the complexity of emerging or existing structures are rather limited. This paper responds to this knowledge gap through the development of a theoretical framework, called the MiGov model, that enables us to understand and analyze the structure and functioning of governance processes on the micro level. Studying governance approaches on the micro level means assessing the complex interplay of involved social, institutional and environmental factors that continuously affect individual decisions and finally aggregate into (non‐)success of implementation. The micro governance framework therefore includes a variety of actor‐based (e.g., individual character, financial capacity), societal (e.g., launch of a policy, peer group influence) and ecological factors (e.g., local ecological characteristics) that typically influence the overall success of implementation. To facilitate the huge amount of data input demanded by research on the micro‐level of governance, we present agent‐based modeling (ABM) as a suited tool for operationalization. The use of agent‐based modeling enables the combination of fragmented and non‐compatible data with proxy data or theoretical assumptions from existing literature. ABM therefore also is an efficient research strategy in the face of lacking data, which is a severe and persistent problem in assessments of environmental policy implementation success. Once an agent‐based model has been established it is possible to experiment with different scenarios or threshold values, enabling a reality check to (partially) known micro structures. To exemplify the use of ABM for micro governance we present the case of ecosystem‐based soil management (EBM) in the Dutch agricultural sector as a typical case for micro governance. This case resembles the micro structure and dynamic interaction of a high variety of decision‐makers with dynamic, multi‐level interactions activated to increase the implementation of organic residues in the agricultural sector. The results of our ABM reveal that the agent‐based model is suited to identify case‐specific mechanisms that increase governance success. In particular, activities that decrease individually perceived uncertainty about implementation practices and effects increase implementation success whereas financial support like subsidies is, to our surprise, less effective.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70016   open full text
• ‘Incoherence Is, in a Way, a Choice’: The Production of Policy Coherence at the Intersection of Uruguay's Agricultural, Environmental and Water Policies.
  Simon Ryfisch, Paula Díez Boldú, Tamara Avellán, Carlos Santos, José Sciandro, Manuel Vázquez Cirillo, Malgorzata Blicharska, Mariana Meerhoff.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 365-384, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study explores the production of coherence between Uruguay's agricultural, environmental and water policies amidst growing tensions, which are particularly manifested in conflicts between an expanding agricultural sector and water insecurity for the broader public. We apply a novel mixed‐method approach, combining a political discourse analysis of key sectoral policies, the ruling party's programme and workshop discussions with a survey of implementing technical staff, thus capturing both the discursive nature of coherence and perceptions of its practical implementation—extending thereby beyond instrumental and even existing critical policy coherence analysis frameworks. Our findings reveal divergent views on policy coherence, with agricultural sector staff generally viewing it more positively than their counterparts in the environmental and water sectors. We also identified two distinct discourses: the hegemonic discourse, which promotes agricultural growth with minimal environmental safeguards, and the counter‐hegemonic discourse, which advocates for a cultural shift that challenges the capitalist structures underpinning large‐scale agriculture. Our study highlights how prevailing discourses shape both the perception and practice of policy coherence. However, we also found that vagueness in policy objectives and instruments allow powerful actors to maintain the status quo, making policy objectives appear coherent while diverging from the discursive ideals of ‘strong sustainability’ in practice. The gap between discursive ideals and real‐world outcomes illustrates that coherence, to a degree, is a ‘choice’ shaped and limited by power dynamics and institutional capacities. Overall, our approach and findings bear relevance for an ever‐increasing number of contexts in which economic and environmental priorities intersect and compete.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70055   open full text
• From Disruption to Stabilization: A Functional Governance Perspective on the Renewable Energy Transition in Montenegro.
  Alexander L. Q. Chen‐Florea, Igor Luksic, Bojana Boskovic.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 07, 2026
  ["Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 385-402, April 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nAs global climate ambitions intensify, the key challenge lies not in setting renewable energy targets but in designing governance systems that can translate them into lasting transformation. The transition management literature has advanced a valuable research agenda for initiating change through niche innovations and participatory arenas in early transition phases. However, more attention is required to understand the governance functions needed to stabilize and scale these transitions. This article offers a complementary perspective to the transitions management literature by outlining a functional governance framework for assessing Montenegro's renewable energy transition, with a focus on five governance pillars: (1) motivation and actor mobilization (input), (2) policy agenda‐setting, translation, and anchoring (process), (3) implementation, enforcement, and accountability (output), (4) resources and competences (support), and (5) leadership and coordination (support). Drawing on expert surveys and focus group interviews, the analysis reveals how the entanglements between weak coordination, fragmented leadership, and inadequate enforcement mechanisms produce systemic inertia despite formal commitments to a renewable energy transition. The functional approach foregrounds governance itself as an object of inquiry and shows how cascading failures across functional domains can stall transitions. Nonetheless, it also identifies emerging synergies, such as donor coordination and cross‐sectoral platforms, that may offer entry points for reform. Montenegro's experience underscores the need for context‐sensitive, system‐oriented governance design in transition‐ready states.\n"]

  April 07, 2026   doi: 10.1002/eet.70057   open full text
• An Approach to Assess Learning Conditions, Effects and Outcomes in Environmental Governance.
  Derek Armitage, Angela Dzyundzyak, Julia Baird, Örjan Bodin, Ryan Plummer, Lisen Schultz.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 19, 2017
  We empirically examine relationships among the conditions that enable learning, learning effects and sustainability outcomes based on experiences in four biosphere reserves in Canada and Sweden. In doing so, we provide a novel approach to measure learning and address an important methodological and empirical challenge in assessments of learning processes in decision‐making contexts. Findings from this study highlight the effectiveness of different measures of learning, and how to differentiate the factors that foster learning with the outcomes of learning. Our approach provides a useful reference point for future empirical studies of learning in different environment, resource and sustainability settings. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  October 19, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1781   open full text
• Mapping Complexity in Environmental Governance: A comparative analysis of 37 priority issues in German water management.
  Sabrina Kirschke, Dietrich Borchardt, Jens Newig.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 19, 2017
  Environmental governance regularly has to cope with complex problems. However, ‘complexity’ has mostly been used as a heuristic concept and hardly made operable for empirical research. Drawing on psychological research on complex problem solving, we propose a structured operationalization of complexity in the five dimensions of (1) goals, (2) variables, (3) dynamics, (4) interconnectedness and (5) information uncertainty. Based on 65 semi‐standardized expert interviews and 158 assessments of complexity degrees, we analyse and map 37 water‐related problems in Germany with regard to their complexity. We find that these problems tend to exhibit medium degrees of complexity, based on 30 types of argument for complexity. Our analysis also reveals varying degrees of complexity and delineates the various natural, technical and social sources of complexity. Our approach and the results may facilitate more systematic discussion of governance strategies for complex problem solving across environmental policy fields and scales. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 19, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1778   open full text
• Payments for Ecosystem Services as a Policy Mix: Demonstrating the institutional analysis and development framework on conservation policy instruments.
  David N. Barton, Karla Benavides, Adriana Chacon‐Cascante, Jean‐Francois Le Coq, Miriam Miranda Quiros, Ina Porras, Eeva Primmer, Irene Ring.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  Policy mix analysis has been applied in research on energy, climate, urban and transport policy, and more recently biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. However, policy mix analysis has thus far been employed at a high conceptual level, focusing on describing interactions between instrument types. Policy mix analysis rarely describes instrument ‘structure’ or functional characteristics in a way that would answer the question ‘what constitutes an instrument’? We describe how the rules‐in‐use taxonomy of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, developed for research on common pool resource management, can be used to characterize conservation policy instrument interactions. We demonstrate the approach on the well‐known payments for ecosystem services (PES) program in Costa Rica and cross‐compliance policies, arguing that PES is a policy mix rather than a single economic instrument. Our analysis shows how design features of PES described in the economics literature map to ‘rules‐in‐use’ in the IAD framework. The framework provides a terminology for defining what constitutes institutional context, comparing economic, regulatory and information instruments, and studying their interactions. The rules‐in‐use taxonomy of IAD is a ‘structural’ diagnostic approach, which needs to be combined with other tools that analyse the role and ‘agency’ of actors, as part of integrative environmental governance research. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1769   open full text
• The Economic and Legal Sides of Additionality in Payments for Environmental Services.
  Alain Karsenty, Sigrid Aubert, Laura Brimont, Céline Dutilly, Sébastien Desbureaux, Driss Ezzine de Blas, Gwenole Le Velly.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  This paper aims to clarify two distinct but complementary questions on economic and legal additionality in the payments for environmental services (PES) debate based on examples from the literature and direct observations made in Madagascar and Mexico. For the economic dimension of additionality, we explain two ‘regimes of justification’, efficiency on the one hand and social equity on the other, and discuss how analysts position themselves with regard to both regimes. For the legal dimension, we review and analyse specific cases in which PES are implemented in addition to existing environmental regulations. We propose a renewed framework of analysis to distinguish ‘compensation’ and ‘reward’ in PES by crossing the opportunity cost dimension and the legal constraint vis‐à‐vis the environment. We show how difficult it is to fully maintain the objective of efficiency when PES are implemented simultaneously across different combinations of opportunity costs and regulation constraints. We propose policy options to address the contradiction between incentive and coercive instruments. These options are land sparing, social targeting and chronological combinations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1770   open full text
• An Assessment Framework for Benefit Sharing Mechanisms to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation within a Forest Policy Mix.
  Grace Yee Wong, Lasse Loft, Maria Brockhaus, Anastasia Lucy Yang, Thu Thuy Pham, Samuel Assembe‐Mvondo, Cecilia Luttrell.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  Policy instruments for implementing the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) mechanism operate within an orchestra of policy mixes that affect the forest and other land sectors. How will policymakers choose between the myriad of options for distributing REDD+ benefits, and be able to evaluate its potential effectiveness, efficiency and equity (3Es)? This is a pressing issue given the results‐based aspect of REDD+. We present here a three‐element assessment framework for evaluating the outcomes and performance of REDD+ benefit sharing mechanisms, using the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and equity: (1) the structures (objective and policies) of a REDD+ benefit sharing mechanism; (2) the broader institutional and policy contexts underlying forest governance; (3) outcomes of REDD+ including emission reductions, ecosystem service provision and poverty alleviation. A strength of the assessment framework is its flexible design to incorporate indicators relevant to different contexts; this helps to generate a shared working understanding of what is to be evaluated in the different REDD+ benefit sharing mechanisms (BSMs) across complex socio‐political contexts. In applying the framework to case studies, the assessment highlights trade‐offs among the 3Es, and the need to better manage access to information, monitoring and evaluation, consideration of local perceptions of equity and inclusive decisionmaking processes. The framework does not aim to simplify complexity, but rather serves to identify actionable ways forward towards a more efficient, effective and equitable implementation and re‐evaluation of REDD+ BSMs as part of reflexive policymaking. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1771   open full text
• Adaptive Forest Governance in Northwestern Mato Grosso, Brazil: Pilot project outcomes across agrarian reform landscapes.
  Robert Brooks Davenport, Jorge Luiz Vivan, Peter Herman May, Paulo César Nunes, Lucila Nunes Vargas, William Leles Souza Costa, Amanda Ribeiro Oliveira, Raoni Lucas Rajão.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  Recent research on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has rarely included empirical observation of how land managers perceive and respond to forest governance rules. In this case study, we consider how two decades of pilot projects for integrated conservation and sustainable development (ICDPs) variously influenced forest governance across three agrarian reform settlements in northwestern Mato Grosso state. The analysis combines: i) remote sensing of deforestation from 1997–2015; ii) land use and economic data for individual settler farms and cooperatives; iii) settlers' perceptions regarding legitimacy and relevance of state policies, including land use regulations under the Brazilian Forest Code. Deforestation across settlements varied in association with synergies – or lack thereof – between policy instruments and socially embedded rules organizing economic alternatives to the dominant regional pattern of cattle ranching. In two of the settlements deforestation surpassed or was approaching 80% of their total area. In the third settlement deforestation stabilized at 45%, corresponding with the initiation of ICDP support for a pilot project focused on Brazil nut extractivism to consolidate community management of the settlement's collective forest reserve. The latter process involved a ‘policy mix’ or sequence of overlapping components: technical assistance, cooperative organization, environmental licensing, infrastructure, equitable contracts with surrounding indigenous communities and market development. Comparing with the two counterfactual cases, we suggest a framework for analysis of systemic socio‐ecological change in settlements in the Brazilian Amazon, and reconsider the role of ICDPs in landscape approaches to environmental governance in tropical forests. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1772   open full text
• Policy Mixes and their Alignment over Time: Patching and stretching in the oil sands reclamation regime in Alberta, Canada.
  Jeremy Rayner, Michael Howlett, Adam Wellstead.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  When, why and how do policy mixes change and evolve? Much of the contemporary interest in such mixes is focused on distinguishing simple policies from more complex policy mixes, evaluating the relationships between single and multiple policy tools within a mix, and developing criteria to assess the likely performance of particular mixes. These are important and necessary analytical tasks. However, another required step in understanding policy mixes is to understand how and why mixes evolve and change over time and to determine whether any changes are an improvement. In this paper, we analyse the development of a complex policy mix in the case of reclamation and remediation of the Alberta oil sands from an earlier ‘simple goal, single instrument’ policy regime to a more complex one. This case study reveals the presence of at least two dynamic processes at work in policy mix development, with significant implications for the nature of the changes that result from them. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1773   open full text
• Integrating Ecological Indicators into Federal‐State Fiscal Relations: A policy design study for Germany.
  Nils Droste, Irene Ring, Christoph Schröter‐Schlaack, Thomas Lenk.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 18, 2017
  Protected areas (PA) provide conservation benefits and ecosystem services that spill over the boundaries of jurisdictions to other regions. In this paper we analyse the foundations of and design options for ecological fiscal transfers (EFT) that may internalize such positive external effects. We propose a model for integrating ecological indicators into the intergovernmental fiscal transfer system between federal and state‐level governments in Germany. Our approach is performance oriented and would thus compensate those states that designate an above‐average share of their area for nature conservation purposes. The suggested EFT design builds upon the existing fiscal equalization system and complies with the legal requirements for indicators determining fiscal needs. We employ an econometric analysis to demonstrate that, on average, sparsely populated states in Germany provide more PA per capita and would thus be eligible for increased fiscal transfers. A quantitative model of the fiscal transfer scheme is then used to estimate the marginal financial effects of integrating ecological indicators into federal–state fiscal relations in Germany. Moving beyond the specific case presented, we discuss the implications in terms of the specific role of EFT as a policy instrument within the broader conservation policy mix. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1774   open full text
• Two Sustainability Epistemologies in the Marketization of a Natural Resource.
  Filippa Säwe, Johan Hultman.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 11, 2017
  The normative implications of sustainable development mean that different understandings of how sustainability should be achieved will either facilitate or put at risk different values associated with economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. By a qualitative analysis of Swedish fishery legislation documents, we analyse and outline the consequences of two different and competing sustainability epistemologies: a top‐down system understanding and a bottom‐up experiential understanding. To define these two epistemologies, the case study adopts discourse analysis on one fishery law and one fishery regulation proposal, and the remittance answers to these documents. We demonstrate how a top‐down system approach shapes social reality according to its own logic of efficiency, and that pre‐defined principles of economic optimization prevail over social experience and continuity. We conclude that qualitative analysis holds promise to expand the understanding of the premises and consequences of alternative environmental governance trajectories due to its ability to uncover social constructions of meaning. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 11, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1784   open full text
• Private Sector Involvement in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Using a UN Platform to Promote Market‐Based Instruments for Ecosystem Services.
  Marie Hrabanski.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. October 05, 2017
  The article analyses the implication of private sector representatives in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) (2001–2005). The article shows that, before this international biodiversity assessment, firms were involved in three coalitions: the greenhouse gas pro‐trading coalition, the voluntary private standard coalition and the payment for environmental services coalition. These three coalitions all advocated a particular style of regulation that gave overwhelming emphasis to market‐based policy instruments. Corporate experts from the three coalitions identified were recruited to participate in the MEA. Thanks to the political visibility given to the ecosystem services concept by the MEA, private industry was able to strengthen and legitimize its actions in favour of market‐based environmental governance. At the same time, associating private sector representatives with the MEA process made it easier to disseminate the concept of ecosystem services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  October 05, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1780   open full text
• Forest Governance without Transparency? Evaluating state efforts to reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
  Eduardo Bizzo, Gregory Michener.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 25, 2017
  Over 60% of the Amazon basin is contained within nine federal Brazilian states. How transparent are state‐level governments about implementing and enforcing deforestation reduction policies? Advocates and officials can only influence forest conservation outcomes to the extent that they have information about the actions – the inputs and outputs – of front‐line local actors. Leveraging a recently adopted freedom of information (FOI) law, this paper evaluates how well governments comply with website‐based disclosure requirements (active transparency), and how effectively they respond to FOI requests (passive transparency) on the implementation and enforcement of deforestation reduction policies. By focusing on how subnational administrations disclose accountings of forest governance – the inputs and outputs of governance – the current study complements an already extensive body of scholarship on central government monitoring of forest cover – the transparency of outcomes. Comparing our results with an original database of transparency evaluations from Brazil, we find extremely low levels of compliance with FOI obligations. We do find, however, that government agencies possessing electronic FOI platforms, which help applicants send requests and appeals and accompany responses, fare better than those without. This and other findings have implications for the design of transparency systems, while global results speak to the policy challenges of federalism, especially dilemmas of subnational policy enforcement. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 25, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1776   open full text
• Power in Sustainability Transitions: Analysing power and (dis)empowerment in transformative change towards sustainability.
  Flor Avelino.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 17, 2017
  This paper conceptualizes power and empowerment in the context of sustainability transitions and transition governance. The field of transition studies has been critically interrogated for undermining the role of power, which has inspired various endeavours to theorize power and agency in transitions. This paper presents the POwer‐IN‐Transition framework (POINT), which is developed as a conceptual framework to analyse power and (dis)empowerment in transformative social change, integrating transition concepts and multiple power and empowerment theories. The first section introduces transitions studies and discusses its state‐of‐the‐art regarding power. This is followed by a typology of power relations and different types of power (reinforcive, innovative, transformative). These notions are then used to reframe transition concepts, in particular the multi‐level perspective, in terms of power dynamics. The critical challenges of (dis)empowerment and unintended power implications of discourses on and policies for ‘sustainability transitions’ are discussed. The paper concludes with a synthesis of the arguments and challenges for future research. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1777   open full text
• Policy Stability in Climate Governance: The case of the United Kingdom.
  Katharina Rietig, Timothy Laing.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 15, 2017
  ‘Super‐wicked’ problems such as climate change require ambitious policies within stable policy frameworks. Key for policy stability is to disincentivise future reversals to carbon‐intensive lifestyles resulting in unstoppable climate change. It requires lock‐in to a low‐carbon development trajectory, requires increasing popular support, and needs to be self‐reinforcing, with reversal costs rising over time as benefits increase. In parliamentary political systems (e.g. the UK), policies emerge more easily but are more difficult to maintain given that shifting political majorities can result in policy U‐turns, resulting in uncertainties for investment in low‐carbon transitions. We examine what factors determine policy stability in UK climate change policy that aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 85–90 per cent by 2050. Policy stability depends on favourable public opinion and the political system. In the case of parliamentary democracies the extent to which policy is embedded into a multilevel governance institutional framework and political cross‐party consensus is particularly important for stability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 15, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1762   open full text
• The Ecosystem Approach to Management in Marine Environmental Governance: Institutional interplay in the Baltic Sea Region.
  Sara Söderström, Kristine Kern.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 10, 2017
  This article focuses on the use of the ecosystem approach to management (EAM) in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Based on selected criteria for EAM, the article traces and compares the impact of EAM on HELCOM's Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD). Starting from the assumption that institutional interplay determines the impact of the EAM on marine policies, the article examines how different forms of interplay (interplay through cognition, commitment and compliance) affect the spread of EAM and its implementation in the BSR. The study finds strong interplay between HELCOM's BSAP and the EU's MSFD. Although HELCOM is still an important player in marine governance in the BSR, since it includes Russia, taking over responsibilities for the implementation of EU legislation has repercussions and affects its independence. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 10, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1775   open full text
• Caught Between Personal and Collective Values: Biodiversity conservation in European decision‐making.
  Eeva Primmer, Mette Termansen, Yennie Bredin, Malgorzata Blicharska, Marina García‐Llorente, Pam Berry, Tiina Jääskeläinen, Györgyi Bela, Veronika Fabok, Nicoleta Geamana, Paula A. Harrison, John R. Haslett, Georgia Lavinia Cosor, Anne H.K. Andersen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 22, 2017
  Individual decision‐makers at different governance levels operate in social contexts, which means that they sometimes need to compromise their personal values. Yet, this dissonance is rarely the direct target of empirical analyses of environmental decision‐making. We undertake a Q‐analysis of decision‐makers' personal perspectives and the perspectives they perceive to dominate in their decision‐making contexts. Our empirical analysis addresses biodiversity conservation, which has traditionally been justified with intrinsic value‐ and science‐based arguments. The arguments have recently been broadened with the concept of ecosystem services, highlighting human benefits and values. This evolving context is interesting because of the new rise of anthropocentric values, which can lead to decision‐makers experiencing dissonance. Our analysis of interviews with 43 biodiversity conservation decision‐makers from nine European countries reveals four personally held perspectives that highlight different, yet partly overlapping, values – intrinsic, human benefit, conservation and connection – as well as three perspectives perceived to dominate in decision‐making – utilitarian, insurance and knowledge values. The comparison of personally held and perceived dominant perspectives points to one major conflict: those decision‐makers who personally associate with intrinsic values and perceive utilitarian values to dominate in decision‐making experience dissonance. By contrast, personally held human benefit values are accommodated well in decision‐making contexts and decision‐makers who perceive insurance values to dominate experience the least conflict with personally held values. These findings demonstrate the potential of arguments stressing long‐term benefits for easing tension and conflicts in conservation decision‐making, and the usefulness of empirically testing of the coincidence of individual and social values. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  July 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1763   open full text
• The Role of Finance Ministries in Environmental Policy Making: The case of European Union Emissions Trading System reform in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
  Jakob Skovgaard.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 04, 2017
  Environmental policy‐making increasingly involves ministries beyond environment ministries. In particular, finance ministries are important, since they control the public budget and address environmental issues from a perspective different from environmental actors. The role of finance ministries is especially salient in the European Union's (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS), which has been subject to interventions to keep up the falling emission allowance price. The price of ETS allowances has dropped to a tenth of the expected price. The drop led to proposals for intervening in the ETS, including postponing the auctioning of emission allowances and structural reform. While the Netherlands and Denmark supported such intervention, Germany blocked an EU decision on the subject for months. To investigate whether the role of finance ministries explains the differences in government positions, this article analyses these three Member States. The analysis shows that finance ministries were involved in the policy processes and reluctantly supported intervening in the ETS. This position was due more to the desire to have a functioning ETS with minimal state intervention than to the fiscal impact of such intervention, as this impact was clouded in uncertainty. However, the finance ministries were not decisive in determining government positions, which were instead determined by the political orientation of the government (in Germany and the Netherlands) and by previous commitments to ambitious EU emission reduction targets (in Denmark). The analysis underlines the importance of studying the role of finance ministries and their different objectives (fiscal, macroeconomic) in environmental policy‐making. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  July 04, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1767   open full text
• The Global Norm of Large Marine Protected Areas: Explaining variable adoption and implementation.
  Justin Alger, Peter Dauvergne.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 04, 2017
  Since 2006, governments have designated or announced 18 marine protected areas (MPAs) larger than 200 000 km2. Before then there was only one: Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, established in 1975. To explain this marked shift in state governance of marine biodiversity, this article points to the importance of a gradual strengthening over the past decade of a global norm that large MPAs, especially no‐take reserves, are valuable for meeting conservation objectives and targets. As is true for most global environmental norms, the large MPA norm emerged primarily out of civil society, especially from groups framing large MPAs as an effective way to help stop ocean decline. Importantly, however, the article demonstrates that the adoption of this norm is uneven across states, and implementation of large MPAs varies widely as governmental and non‐governmental forces interact – sometimes clashing, sometimes cooperating – with fishing, tourism and resource industries. For evidence, this article draws on fieldwork and 74 interviews across five large MPA cases: Papahānaumokouākea (2006) and the Pacific Remote Islands in the US (2009); the Coral Sea in Australia (2012); the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (2015); and the UK's Pitcairn reserve (2015). A comparative analysis of these cases reveals the influence of non‐governmental groups (especially The Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Geographic Society) on the gradual strengthening of the large MPA norm; the importance of the large MPA norm for the formation of marine policy; and the significance of domestic political economies for shaping variable norm adoption and state implementation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  July 04, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1768   open full text
• Building Practical Authority for Community Forestry in and through Networks: The role of community‐based organisations in the U.S. West.
  Jesse Abrams, Emily Jane Davis, Cassandra Moseley, Branda Nowell.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 14, 2017
  Policy and economic changes in the late 20th century fundamentally reorganized the governance of public forestlands in the US West, throwing longstanding rural development trajectories into disarray. Place‐based NGOs emerged across the West in the wake of this transformation to help rural communities gain access to the benefits of new restoration‐oriented management paradigms. Here we analyse the practical efforts of two of these community‐based organizations, Wallowa Resources and the Watershed Research and Training Center, as they attempt to implement community forestry practices in highly complex institutional environments. We focus on the ways in which these organizations access and utilize social networks at multiple scales in order to build the ‘practical authority’ necessary to lead institutional change efforts in and on behalf of rural communities. We consider both the strategic advantages and the practical challenges of working in multiple forums at multiple scales in pursuit of linked community and environmental benefits. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 14, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1765   open full text
• The Roles of Residents in Climate Adaptation: A systematic review in the case of the Netherlands.
  Dries L.T. Hegger, Heleen L.P. Mees, Peter P.J. Driessen, Hens A.C. Runhaar.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 14, 2017
  Climate adaptation literature has hitherto devoted limited attention to the roles of residents. Yet their role is crucial in addressing non‐ or maladaptation, as their initiative or consent is often necessary to take adaptation measures in or around the house. To address this knowledge gap, this paper explores mainstream and additional roles for residents through a literature review. Mainstream roles are those roles that residents usually take, while additional roles are more specific and local in nature. The latter may, however, provide the seeds for wider change. To structure the results, we made a distinction between three forms of residents' commitment to adaptation: as (1) citizens falling under the jurisdiction of various governmental levels; (2) consumers (including home owners) in the market; and (3) civil society members/partners. While this is an established categorization in other domains of environmental governance, it has not yet been systematically applied to the adaptation domain. The paper's empirical focus regarding mainstream and additional roles is on the Dutch adaptation domains of flood risk management, stormwater management and dealing with heat stress. We found scope for additional roles for residents, especially as consumers in the market and civil society members. The findings are of significance for the global debate on residents' roles in climate adaptation and suggest that addressing all three forms of commitment may enhance the implementation of measures as well as their legitimacy, residents' awareness and societies' potential to innovate. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 14, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1766   open full text
• Local Climate Governance in the Global South: The case of eThekwini Municipality and the Responsible Accommodation Campaign.
  Marita Lervik, Catherine Sutherland.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 14, 2017
  Local climate governance has become a key focus of the climate change agenda. Much research has been conducted on the topic in northern countries, but more research is needed in the South, where local governments often are less equipped to deal with challenges associated with climate change. This paper discusses different forms of local climate governance, with a specific focus on the relevance of networks. Local climate governance in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, is used as a case study, particularly focusing on a campaign that was implemented in 2011 before the international climate conference (COP17). The modes of governing in eThekwini are considered through a framework of local climate governing and identified mainly as self‐governing and governing through enabling, the campaign being an example of the latter. The campaign also exemplifies how network governance can shape climate policy and significantly alter a project from initiation to implementation. While networks can contribute to improved communication and information exchange, there may be an inherent risk of private partners having a perverse incentive against implementing effective climate policies due to their own interests in maintaining current structures. It is not clear whether the change from regulative governance to governing by enabling will lead to more effective climate policies in the longer term. More research is required to determine this. While this study is too small to make broader generalizations, it does provide insight into how the introduction of network governance may impact climate governance at the local level in the South. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 14, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1757   open full text
• Governance in Shaky Societies: Experiences and lessons from Christchurch after the earthquakes.
  Melanie M. Bakema, Constanza Parra, Philip McCann, Paul Dalziel, Caroline Saunders.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 30, 2017
  Disasters have the potential to shake societies and their governance systems not only temporarily, but often for years afterwards as well. Studying disaster governance through lenses of social–ecological systems can provide essential insights in disaster contexts, as disasters occur through the interactions between nature and societies. Drawing upon debates on environmental governance, we examine the interactions between different spatial and temporal levels of governance in the face of disasters. Our analysis is based on an in‐depth case study of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. International experts usually regard Christchurch as an exemplary recovery process. However, frustration is widespread among people in the city as they call for a more socially inclusive process. These diverging views can be explained by the variety of challenges that the earthquakes pose on the society and the consequent different needs and wishes related to different temporal stages and geographical areas. Homogenous governance approaches for post‐disaster recovery for all stages and areas are therefore inadequate, calling for hybrid, more flexible and sustainable governance constellations. A social–ecological approach highlights the dynamic and complex interactions between nature and society, and the hybrid, multi‐level character of governance, which both shapes and is shaped by the behaviour and responses of citizens. Regarding hybrid governance as a social–ecological system can therefore help to better understand post‐disaster realities and support the design of tailored, time‐ and place‐specific governance systems aiming for enhanced resilience and sustainability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 30, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1764   open full text
• Municipal Responses to Ecological Fiscal Transfers in Brazil: A microeconometric panel data approach.
  Nils Droste, Guilherme Rodrigues Lima, Peter Herman May, Irene Ring.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 30, 2017
  Ecological fiscal transfers in Brazil, the so‐called ICMS‐Ecológico or ICMS‐E, redistribute part of the state‐level value‐added tax revenues on the basis of ecological indicators to local governments. We analyze whether the introduction of this economic instrument in a state offers incentives to municipal responses in terms of further protected area (PA) designation. We provide a microeconomic model for the functioning of ICMS‐E and test the derived hypothesis empirically. Employing an econometric analysis on panel data for two decades we estimate the correlation of the introduction of ICMS‐E in Brazilian states with PA coverage. We find that the introduction of ICMS‐E correlates with a higher average PA share. While the introduction of ICMS‐E schemes may be a compensation for a high share of federal and state PA, we also find an incentive effect for municipalities to designate additional PA. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 30, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1760   open full text
• Monitoring for Adaptive Management or Modernity: Lessons from recent initiatives for holistic environmental management.
  Kerry A. Waylen, Kirsty L. Blackstock.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 11, 2017
  Recommendations for improving environmental management often advocate a holistic approach that supports both social and environmental objectives. This should be reflected in approaches to monitoring and evaluation; however, monitoring is often inadequate and hence limits our ability to implement adaptive management. It is important to understand if monitoring practices are changing, and if not, why. Thus, this paper considers the monitoring practices and priorities of 24 ‘Ecosystem Approach’ projects implementing holistic and participatory environmental management. We found project monitoring was often focused on biophysical indicators, such as indicators of water pollution, even when adaptive management might prioritize understanding different issues or using different data‐types. By contrast, aspects of social and economic aspects were monitored infrequently. Procedural aspects were rarely tracked. Project managers' aspirations did sometimes include such issues, but these were seen as more difficult or even impossible to measure. Schema were also shaped by the need to demonstrate accountability and quantify progress to funders. Our study suggests monitoring still falls short of theoretical recommendations. This is partially due to the misfit between new understandings of socio‐ecological systems and pre‐existing modernist paradigms, whose conceptions and expectations still have pervasive effects of our ways of thinking and working. Tackling this requires explicit attention to sticking points across the levels of institutions that shape environmental management. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 11, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1758   open full text
• Reconsidering EU Compliance: Implementation performance in the field of environmental policy.
  Elena Bondarouk, Ellen Mastenbroek.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 05, 2017
  European Union (EU) environmental policy can only work in practice when it is implemented by and within the member states. Yet, despite its importance, we still lack a solid and cumulative understanding of the practical implementation of EU environmental policies, mainly because of the dominance of case‐specific empirical insights and the dichotomous conceptualization of compliant implementation. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for analysing implementation performance, which is built around three dimensions: substance, scope and effort. The framework's relevance and analytical quality are substantiated by a systematic review of empirical studies on practical implementation of 18 EU environmental directives. We find evidence of three types of knowledge deficits: there is neglect of the ‘scope’ and ‘effort’ dimensions of implementation; disproportionate attention to the Water Framework Directive, and the Northern and Western European member states. The proposed conceptual framework aims to inform future research on EU environmental implementation. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  May 05, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1761   open full text
• On the Necessity of an Integrated, Participative and Adaptive Approach to Sustainable Urban Environmental Quality Planning.
  Rien Stigt, Peter Driessen, Tejo Spit.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 05, 2017
  Based on a review of recent literature, this paper addresses the question of how urban planners can steer urban environmental quality, given the fact that it is multidimensional in character, is assessed largely in subjective terms and varies across time. A novel perspective of urban environmental quality is proposed, simultaneously exploring three questions that are at the core of planning and designing cities: ‘quality of what?’, ‘quality for whom?’ and ‘quality at what time?’. The dilemmas that urban planners face in answering these questions are illustrated using secondary material. This approach provides perspectives for action. Rather than further detailing the exact nature of urban quality, it calls for sustainable urban environmental quality planning that is integrated, participative and adaptive. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 05, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1759   open full text
• Central‐local Relations and Renewable Energy Policy Implementation in a Developing Country.
  Jens Marquardt.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 05, 2017
  Implementing renewable energy policies is a complex governance challenge that involves numerous jurisdictional levels. Transforming an energy system towards renewables requires not only top‐down activities from the central government, but also bottom‐up developments at subnational jurisdictions. This article investigates how complex multi‐level governance arrangements affect renewable energy policy implementation in a developing country. Speaking to current conceptual debates in multi‐level governance research, insights from pluralist power theories are incorporated into a multi‐level governance framework to investigate the role of governance structures, resources and capacities. The approach is applied exemplarily to discuss the implementation of the Philippine Renewable Energy Act. The national government struggles to implement this law due to powerful local authorities. Political factors such as unclear responsibilities, conflicting regulations, weak local capacity, a lack of awareness for national intentions and missing consultation are identified as major obstacles for renewable energy policy implementation. Results are primarily derived from documents and qualitative expert interviews. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 05, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1756   open full text
• Multi‐level Reinforcement in European Climate and Energy Governance: Mobilizing economic interests at the sub‐national levels.
  Martin Jänicke, Rainer Quitzow.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 18, 2017
  This article explains the relatively successful performance of the European Union (EU) in climate and energy governance by two factors: (1) multi‐level reinforcement and (2) the mobilization of economic interests at different levels of governance through low‐carbon industrial policy. The article adds to the literature by further developing existing arguments on multi‐level reinforcement in climate and energy policy. We stress the point that economic co‐benefits of climate protection have been successfully mobilized at all levels of governance, including the sub‐national level, in recent times. This is illustrated by examples from pioneer countries as well as laggards and waverers in terms of national climate and energy policy. While it is far from certain whether the EU will indeed deliver the needed CO2 reductions to reach its internationally agreed targets, this paper, nevertheless, highlights why the EU system of climate governance remains relatively robust in light of the various challenges it currently faces. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  April 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1748   open full text
• The Multi‐level System of Global Climate Governance – the Model and its Current State.
  Martin Jänicke.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 18, 2017
  Multi‐level global governance was introduced at the United Nations summit in Rio in 1992 as a new model to achieve a broad global mobilization of different actors in sustainable development. This model has been extended to climate governance. It has become a global system with its own inherent logic, dynamics and stabilization mechanisms. This article deals with the systemic dimension (the architecture) of global multi‐level climate governance across levels and sectors. It refers to the model and its practical implementation at different levels. The text poses four hypotheses: (1) the global multi‐level system of climate governance can be regarded as a structure which offers opportunities for ambitious innovation‐based climate strategies; (2) each level of the global system has its own specific responsibilities, challenges, opportunities and mechanisms for lesson‐drawing; (3) the main lesson to be learned is to make use of the co‐benefits characteristic to climate mitigation; and (4) the system's multi‐sectoral and multi‐actor structure provides additional opportunities to address such co‐benefits and to mobilize different interests in the pursuit of climate policy objectives. After outlining these hypotheses in more detail, the article will then conclude with a set of policy recommendations. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  April 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1747   open full text
• Low Carbon Governance in Multi‐level Structures: EU–India relations on energy and climate.
  Kirsten Jörgensen, Christian Wagner.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 18, 2017
  Since 2000, the European Union (EU), a leader in global climate politics, has been looking for alternative avenues to enforce climate relations with other countries. Employing a multi‐level governance lens, this article focuses on the EU–India bilateral relations on energy and climate. The analysis finds strong opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation on low carbon development, a potential that has not yet been realized. The stimulating and accelerating impact that multi‐level reinforcement could have in the energy and climate relations between the EU and India has not been exploited by either side yet. The various forms of cooperation that include the national government and the states in India offer more room for linkages which might move the Indian/European climate cooperation ahead further. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1749   open full text
• Deploying Low‐carbon Technologies in Developing Countries: A view from India's buildings sector.
  Radhika Khosla, Ambuj Sagar, Ajay Mathur.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 18, 2017
  The climate change arena comprises a diverse set of interacting actors from international, national and local levels. The multilevel architecture has implications for low‐carbon technology deployment in developing countries, an issue salient to both development and climate objectives. The paper examines this theme through two inter‐related questions: how do (or don't) low‐carbon technologies get deployed in India's built environment, and what implications can be drawn from the Indian case for effective low‐carbon technology development and transfer for developing countries? By examining the multilevel linkages in India's buildings sector, the paper shows how the interactions between governance levels can both support and hinder technology deployment, ultimately leading to inadequate outcomes. The potential of these linkages is hobbled by aspects of the national context (federated energy governance and developing‐country capacity limitations), yet can also be enabled by other features (the climate policy context, which may motivate international actors to fill domestic capacity lacunae). Reflecting on the India case, the paper makes recommendations for improved low‐carbon technology deployment in developing countries: (1) technology development and transfer collaboration on a ‘need‐driven’ approach, (2) development of the specific types of capacity required across the entire innovation chain and (3) domestic strengthening of the coordination and agendas across and between governance levels. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1750   open full text
• Multi‐level Climate Governance in China.
  Miranda Schreurs.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 18, 2017
  China is setting increasingly ambitious greenhouse gas targets and backing them up with a wide array of policies and programmes. How successful China will be in slowing and eventually reversing the growth in its greenhouse gas emissions will depend significantly on how well it does with policy implementation at the local and regional levels. This article examines how climate governance works in China's multi‐level governance structure. It explores why the Chinese leadership is taking climate change seriously, the nature of the policies and programmes being introduced, and the steps being taken to promote local environmental innovation and improve policy compliance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1751   open full text
• Sustainability and the Governance of the Financial System: What role for full reserve banking?
  Inge Røpke.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 20, 2017
  The financial crisis demonstrated the importance of money and finance for the key concerns of ecological economics: inequality, wellbeing and the conditions for sustainability transitions. To cope with the combined challenge of economic and environmental crises, one of the most popular governance proposals within the ecological economics community is to introduce full reserve banking, where retail banks are required to fully back demand deposits with reserves of government‐issued money. Banks can have separate investment activities where they lend funds from time deposits and equity capital, but they are no longer allowed to create new money. In principle, money creation is left to the state and the central bank. Proponents argue that such a system would increase economic stability, remove the undue profits that banks earn due to money creation and make this money available for social purposes instead. However, the idea has met substantial criticism from Post‐Keynesians, who are seen as natural allies of ecological economics. The purpose of this paper is to explore the usefulness of the proposal as a response to the combined challenge of governing economic and environmental crises. First, the roots of the present economic crisis are sketched out, and the key ecological economic concerns related to the crisis are outlined. Then, the main arguments in the debate on full reserve banking are explored, concluding that an intermediate position that combines tough restrictions on finance with increased public money creation is a better option. Finally, the discussion is put into a broader perspective. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 20, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1753   open full text
• Discourses, Narratives and Purposeful Action – Unraveling the Social–Ecological Complexity within the Brahmaputra Basin in India.
  Navarun Varma, Arabinda Mishra.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 20, 2017
  Issues of disaster and governance in the Brahmaputra Basin of India have been part of different debates within the epistemic boundaries. This study of a social–ecological regime shift, from a prosperous paddy cultivated region within the north bank of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley to a sediment deposited wasteland, unravels the complex relations between narratives of a problem and purposeful action. It is found that policy and practice solutions may not always be grounded in the problem situation but can be shaped by wider discourses and social learning. The study illustrates the continuation of engineering solutions without deeper understanding of their influence on social dynamics, the typification of community behaviour with an ignorance of cultural legacies, and a lack of prioritization of adaptation needs in the novel social–ecological conditions of the region. The conceptual frameworks of flood control debates contribute to distinct discourses influencing policy and praxis, while the discontented riparian community is motivated, by actors influenced by identity and space politics, towards political autonomy. Such influences of opposing discourses may reinforce the narrative of a trust gap between the Indian polity and its Northeast Region. The study further identifies a latent capacity for flexibility in the community, which requires more attention from policy and praxis to explore management solutions in such a complex social–ecological system. The paper argues for science, policy and practice engagements in such contexts and the use of transdisciplinary heuristics for their design to facilitate shared understanding. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 20, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1745   open full text
• Preadaptative Transactions and Institutional Change: Wolf‐critical activism in southwestern Finland.
  Juha Hiedanpää, Jani Pellikka.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. February 24, 2017
  Finland has had problems protecting the grey wolf (Canis lupus) for decades. Over the past few years, the government of Finland has taken several steps to improve its policy on wolves. In this paper, we explore the grassroots activism that institutional adjustments have triggered. This work builds on ethnographic presence in two southwestern Finnish wolf territories. Theoretically, we draw from institutional theory and use transactions as the unit of analysis. We identify four ways in which wolf‐critical civil society has provided an institutional basis for particular changes: (i) questioning the purity of the wolf, (ii) making scientific evidence fallible, (iii) producing negative emotional effects and (iv) maintaining strong policy pressure against the presence of the wolf. In the discussion, we explain how these modifications have functioned. Actors critical of the wolf have exercised the politics of disturbance, produced various epistemic cues and created conditions for reframing existing rights and the emergence of new ones. Due to these bottom‐up preadaptive transactions, wolf‐policy‐related institutional adjustments have, in many respects, taken on volitional and spontaneous features. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  February 24, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1754   open full text
• Using Social Network Analysis to Monitor and Assess the Effectiveness of Knowledge Brokers at Connecting Scientists and Decision‐Makers: An Australian case study.
  C. Cvitanovic, R. Cunningham, A‐M. Dowd, S.M. Howden, E.I. Putten.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. February 21, 2017
  Despite growing rhetoric regarding the potential benefits of using knowledge brokers in relation to environmental challenges and decision‐making processes, the evidence in support of such claims is mostly anecdotal. This is, in part, due to the lack of established methods to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of knowledge brokers. To address this gap we assess the utility of social network analysis (SNA) to evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge brokers in connecting scientists and decision‐makers. Specifically, using a case‐study approach, we undertake longitudinal SNA over a 12‐month period to evaluate the extent to which the knowledge broker developed networks between producers and users of knowledge across different organizations. We also undertook a qualitative survey of scientists (n = 29) who worked in the same organization as the knowledge broker to understand the extent to which the knowledge broker increased the impact of scientific research for decision‐making purposes. Results show that the knowledge broker developed an extensive stakeholder network of 192 individuals spanning over 30 organizations. The results of the SNA found that over time this network increased in density and became more cohesive, both key elements underpinning successful knowledge exchange. Furthermore, the qualitative survey found that the knowledge broker also had a positive impact in other ways, including helping researchers understand the operating environments within decision‐making agencies and the best approaches for engaging with specific decision‐makers. Thus, this study demonstrates the value of SNA for evaluating knowledge brokers and provides empirical support for the use of knowledge brokers in the environmental sector. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  February 21, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1752   open full text
• Evaluating Conditions for Integrated Water Resource Management at Sub‐basin Scale. A Comparison of the Flemish Sub‐basin Boards and Walloon River Contracts.
  Hannelore Mees, Cathy Suykens, Ann Crabbé.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. January 09, 2017
  Integrated water resource management (IWRM) has long been advocated in academia and politics but appears difficult to pursue in practice. Defenders of IWRM call for governance institutions adapted to hydrological boundaries, but these would be at odds with existing administrative ones. In this paper, we investigate how coordination platforms at sub‐basin scale can contribute to IWRM. Most IWRM literature focuses on the catchment scale. It is however acknowledged by several authors that coordination is also needed at a lower level. Through document analysis and semi‐structured interviews, a comparison is made of the Flemish sub‐basin boards and the Walloon river contracts, two types of coordination platform in different regions of Belgium. Belonging to the same federal state, they form valuable cases to compare divergent systems rooted in similar administrative settings. A number of key factors appear to contribute to the effectiveness of the coordination platforms, as it is perceived by their stakeholders. These factors are a clear but flexible legislative framework, (financial) support of a higher government rather than command‐and‐control steering, the personal commitment of their coordinators, an independent status of their staff, a sense of urgency and a good connection with civil society and the wider public. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  January 09, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1736   open full text
• The Impact of Resource Protection on the Transformation of Property Regimes: The cases of Moose hunting and Cod fishing in Norway.
  Sigurd Rysstad, Bernt Aarset.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. January 06, 2017
  Moose and cod, two traditional natural resources in Norway, exhibited remarkable growth rates in biomass beginning in the 1950s (moose) and 1990s (cod). We explore the evolution of governance institutions for these two resource systems, utilizing a combined longitudinal and comparative approach. We propose that the evolution of species‐specific property regimes paved the way for public governance institutions. While the institutional set‐ups of the property regimes differ for cod and moose resources, responses to critical resource conditions include limitation of access and withdrawal, and increased transferability. The development of the institutions governing these two resources develops towards closure along similar lines set off by endogenous incidents, but the processes are not historically coordinated. We argue that a closed proportional cooperative creates a relative stability in the management of both common pool resources. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  January 06, 2017   doi: 10.1002/eet.1744   open full text
• Decisions at Street Level: Assessing and explaining the implementation of the European water framework directive in Sweden.
  Mikael Sevä, Annica Sandström.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 12, 2016
  This study addresses the role of street‐level bureaucrats in water management and examines what factors influence the implementation of the programme of measures that are part of the European Water Framework Directive. The impact of two factors – the bureaucrats' policy understandings and their implementation resources – on implementation is examined through a qualitative case study at sub‐national level in Sweden. The results verify the critical role of these bureaucrats as only one‐third make decisions, or take action, based on the programme of measures. The results further suggest that the bureaucrats’ understandings of how coherent the policies are, and whom they consult in cases of uncertainty, are important. The implementing bureaucrats perceive policy as coherent and have rich networks of advice, including responsible government authorities, while the non‐implementing bureaucrats experience significant policy incoherencies and have sparse advice networks. Thus, policy‐makers can support implementation by adjusting policy and by improving existing, and organizing new, resources to provide these bureaucrats with guidance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 12, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1734   open full text
• Contemporary Challenges in Environmental Governance: Technology, governance and the social licence.
  Coco Cullen‐Knox, Richard Eccleston, Marcus Haward, Elizabeth Lester, Joanna Vince.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 12, 2016
  The process through which societal actors can exert direct influence on the behaviour of organizations has gained increasing attention over the past two decades and is increasingly referred to as ‘social licence’ or ‘social licence to operate’. This paper documents the rise of social licence and analyses the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT), governance and the social licence. We argue that contemporary social licence and the increasingly prominent role societal actors have in private governance has been facilitated by technological innovation in the fields of media and communications, allowing interest groups to have a far greater reach, and direct interaction and engagement with the public, other interest groups and the industries concerned. Now, a larger population can rapidly contest traditional practices regardless of national borders, the issue concerned or the actors involved. The unpredictable, dynamic and subjective nature of social licence has prompted concerns regarding legitimacy of stakeholders, the information they disseminate and outcomes they promote. Subsequently, in an attempt to maintain political and corporate legitimacy, business interests are demanding more adaptable regulatory regimes. These political dynamics are resulting in the proliferation of network style governance that can adapt and cope with changing information, attitudes, values and beliefs. As a result a new era of experimentation and trialling alternative governance regimes has been born. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 12, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1743   open full text
• Developing Environmental NGO Power for Domestic Battles in a Multilevel Context: Lessons from a Slovenian case.
  Romina Rodela, Andrej Udovč, Magnus Boström.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 05, 2016
  Many have discussed the crucial role that environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) have played in the implementation of nature protection policies across European member states. However, there are important differences in the opportunity structures among new and old member states that influence how ENGOs can act and undertake activities. This article seeks to clarify the role of ENGO capacity building within the context of multilevel environmental governance and focuses on a case in which Slovene ENGOs mobilized against the siting of 80 windmills in a natural area suggested for protection under the EU Birds and Habitats Directive. The dispute involved ENGOs seeking to pursue nature protection objectives against state authorities who prioritized green energy infrastructural development. The article analyses the mobilization strategies pursued and the combination of material, cognitive, social and symbolic resources used. The results suggest that these resources had to be mobilized and organized along both horizontal (domestic) and vertical (international) axes, and that this combination appears key in advancing an environmental protection agenda. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1735   open full text
• Mainstreaming Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Global Water Discourse.
  Marianne Henkel.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 02, 2016
  In recent years, awareness of ecosystem ‘services’ to human society has increased significantly. With it, economic tools for their conservation have gained attention in international environmental governance discourses, including in the global water discourse. The present paper uses a discourse analytical approach to trace how payments for ecosystem services are increasingly mainstreamed into the discourse on integrated water resource management (IWRM). Notably, international organizations with an environmental or conservation mandate draw on the environmental principle of the IWRM paradigm to raise concern for water‐related ecosystem services, and on the notion of water as an economic good to suggest payments for their conservation. While some actors and practices of the IWRM discourse have endorsed the extended storyline, it has been received reluctantly by most of the central actors in the global water platform. The Green Economy discourse spurred by the Rio + 20 conference has given the mainstreaming process a new dynamic. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 02, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1730   open full text
• Corporate Strategies in Environmental Governance: Marine harvest and regulatory change for sustainable aquaculture.
  Irja Vormedal.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 01, 2016
  Focusing on Marine Harvest ASA, the world's largest salmon producer, this article examines the role of corporations in promoting sustainable aquaculture and regulation, exploring why a leading multinational may choose to adopt and implement a proactive sustainability strategy. It develops a neo‐pluralist model for conceptualizing drivers behind proactive strategy formation, and finds that a company‐specific combination of simple and mixed motives linking profit‐maximization and risk calculations to a longer‐term normative sustainability agenda can explain why corporations become entrepreneurs for sustainability. It concludes with some reflections on implications of the findings for understanding business in environmental governance more broadly. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 01, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1732   open full text
• On the Benefits of Using Process Indicators in Local Sustainability Monitoring: Lessons from a Dutch municipal ranking (1999–2014).
  Ludger Niemann, Thomas Hoppe, Frans Coenen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. September 30, 2016
  The sustainability performance of cities is subject to an ever‐growing number of monitoring tools. While most initiatives work with outcome indicators that are generally associated with limited direct policy relevance, a minority of tools focuses on sustainability‐related processes and particularly local government policies. In this article, we explore the benefits, limitations and conditions under which this approach can function. While several process‐oriented tools offered to European local governments have lacked participation and foundered, the Local Sustainability Meter (LSM) has been widely used in the Netherlands, with close to 90% of all Dutch municipalities participating since 1999 in some of its multi‐year editions. An evaluative case study presented in this article shows that the LSM stimulated competition for policy performance, conceptual learning and the strengthening of local governance and inter‐municipal networks. The LSM's design choices of combining voluntary, transparent self‐assessments at periodic intervals with public rankings and awards proved to be an effective – and economic – way of disseminating sustainability policies. Its limitations include an inherent focus on generic, standardized policy prescriptions and little knowledge on actual sustainability outcomes. These findings are relevant for policy‐makers and developers of (local) sustainability monitoring tools. This study contributes to the growing literature on (i) sustainability policies and (ii) municipal monitoring and ranking tools. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  September 30, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1733   open full text
• Applying Governance Principles to Systematic Conservation Decision‐Making in Queensland.
  Milena Kiatkoski Kim, Louisa Evans, Lea M. Scherl, Helene Marsh.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 31, 2016
  The literature on the science‐policy interface suggests that stakeholders' perceptions of environmental planning and decision‐making processes can affect the uptake of conservation plans. Despite calls for more and better stakeholder engagement in conservation planning there is currently no empirical evidence on participants' perceptions of such processes. We asked participants of a conservation planning process and other key informants to evaluate their engagement experiences using normative governance principles (legitimacy, inclusiveness, fairness, accountability, integration, adaptability, transparency and capability). We analysed a large‐scale case‐study of species prioritization in Queensland, Australia. Conceptually, our systematic use of governance principles to interrogate perceptions of engagement showcased the utility of this analytical approach to uncover important issues influencing science‐policy uptake. Empirically, we showed that there remains considerable debate about how a normative conservation planning process should be. Our data revealed different interpretations of species prioritization, ranging from a deliberative process to define priorities in biodiversity conservation, to a technical, expert‐based process. Matters of ‘who’ was included affected stakeholders' perceptions of species prioritization. Perceived limitations of ‘how’ the process was conducted were also important, affected by the: (1) institutional culture of the Queensland Government; (2) lack of transparency; (3) limited flexibility to incorporate both emerging data and participants' suggestions in programme management; and (4) limited capability for implementation. These empirical data support existing evidence from studies in the broader field of collaborative planning. We draw from this literature to suggest how conservation planners can overcome the barriers to the uptake of prioritization priorities identified in or research. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 31, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1731   open full text
• Scale Implications of Integrated Water Resource Management Politics: Lessons from New Zealand.
  Jeffrey McNeill.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  Successful integrated water resource management (IWRM) is predicated on increased stakeholder participation and achieving environmental outcomes by locating decision‐making at the catchment scale of management. However, geographic scale impacts opportunities for participation and privileges some actors within the functional and spatial scope of decision‐making. Accordingly, rescaling may merely reconfigure rather than redistribute power. With its dual national and regional management of freshwater based on river catchments, New Zealand's experience of integrated environmental management provides insights for wider theory and practice. In response to recent significant freshwater quality decline from agricultural non‐point discharges over the last two decades and related public concern, the national government and regional councils have redefined participation constellations at national and regional government levels. This paper compares stakeholder diversity and policy effectiveness of regulatory agencies and collaborative initiatives at both national and regional levels, using the Manawatu River catchment as a case study. It detects low participator diversity within regulatory agencies, but relatively high policy salience. In contrast, the collaborative forums' low policy salience, despite their high participator diversity, raises questions about the substantive value of non‐regulatory collaborative initiatives. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1719   open full text
• Water Management Across Borders, Scales and Sectors: Recent developments and future challenges in water policy analysis.
  Karin Ingold, Manuel Fischer, Cheryl Boer, Peter P. Mollinga.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is widely accepted and has been implemented though international, national and regional water management guidelines. Nonetheless, concrete implementation of IWRM gives rise to new questions for policy analysis. Scholars interested in water regulation, the design of effective and efficient policy instruments, and structures of participative and multi‐level policy processes face challenges regarding research design, concepts and empirical approaches. This special issue integrates research about regional, national and transboundary policy perspectives on water management in seven countries, four continents and two transnational water bodies. From the six articles presented in this special issue, we learn more about how to define integration, to think about borders and scales and to theoretically and empirically study collaborative management in water policy analysis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1713   open full text
• Collaborative Water Resource Management: What makes up a supportive governance system?
  Cheryl Boer, Joanne Vinke‐de Kruijf, Gül Özerol, Hans Bressers.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  Collaboration is increasingly seen as an important aspect of successful water management, and yet it remains insufficiently understood. This paper examines how collaboration is influenced by the governance system that guides and organizes the related actions and interactions. Building upon an existing governance assessment tool, this paper provides the basis for predicting how supportive (or restrictive) a governance system will be towards collaboration, according to eight different governance system classes. The validity of this framework is reflected upon in case studies from five countries: Mexico, the Netherlands, Canada, Romania and Turkey. The collaborative processes in Mexico, Romania and Turkey are embedded in restrictive governance systems and show low levels of collaboration. The governance system in the Canadian case is assessed as neutral and shows a medium level of collaboration, whereas the governance system in the Netherlands shows high levels of collaboration and is assessed as supportive. The results are encouraging, as the case studies demonstrate the predicted influences of a governance system on collaboration. Yet, the case studies also highlight the potential importance of characteristics of the collaborative process and collaborating actors. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1714   open full text
• In the Eye of the Beholder: Network location and sustainability perception in flood prevention.
  Jörg Balsiger, Karin Ingold.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  The aim of this paper is to investigate how sustainability perceptions are emergent properties of collaborative networks in flood governance in Switzerland. In recent decades, the impact of global warming and multiple stresses on water regimes has influenced the design of new approaches to flood risk management, especially in Western Europe. The use of non‐structural measures such as planning tools and watershed campaigns indicates a change from technocratic to more integrated flood governance perspectives. Flood governance is increasingly influenced by the principle of sustainability, understood as stronger horizontal integration of its social, economic and environmental dimensions. The paper examines the integration of sustainability in the design of flood prevention and policies, suggesting that integration relates to participating actors’ perceptions of sustainability and that these perceptions are reflected in network structures. Focusing on four regional case studies, we use survey data and social network analysis to investigate how actors relate to each other and how they rank sustainability indicators. Results show that sustainability perceptions differ strongly across cases, and tend to be more balanced (assigning equal importance to environmental, economic and social indicators) within and sometimes even across actor types and sectors. We find that while actors in central network positions tend to have more balanced sustainability perceptions, context‐ and project‐specific factors impact sustainability perceptions even more. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1715   open full text
• Policy Diffusion in the Context of International River Basin Management.
  Florence Metz, Manuel Fischer.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  This paper deals with policy diffusion across countries in the context of collaborative river basin management. Borrowing from the literature on policy diffusion and ‘smart strategies’ of small European Union member states, we argue that policy diffusion is fostered by structural and agency‐related factors. We illustrate our theoretical ideas with a case study on the new Swiss policy on micropollutants in surface waters. Based on a rich set of documents and interviews with key actors, we show that the integration of Switzerland into formal and informal transnational networks fosters the diffusion of its micropollutants policy to other Rhine riparian countries. In addition, we analyse agency‐related factors favouring policy diffusion in river basins, such as a country's pioneer role, its expertise, the fact that its policy is in line with general policy goals in other countries and the political acceptance of the policy at home. Our analysis suggests that policy diffusion can be an important phenomenon in integrated water resources management. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1716   open full text
• Transboundary Cooperation in European Water Governance – A set‐theoretic analysis of International River Basins.
  Nicolas W. Jager.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  The pursuit of more integrated water resource management based on hydrological boundaries (i.e. river basins) poses significant challenges for domestic environmental governance, let alone in situations where rivers transcend national borders. This paper examines which conditions of governance (and beyond) favour cooperative transboundary river basin management practices under the European Water Framework Directive. This directive, with its detailed procedural provisions for (international) river basin management planning, offers an excellent test bed to investigate and assess the factors and mechanisms of transboundary river basin management. Postulates of neo‐liberal theory of international cooperation, drawn from international relations, help to identify relevant conditions for analysis, covering the two dimensions of state interests and transaction costs. Results of a qualitative comparative analysis show that transaction costs have a strong mitigating influence on the occurrence of cooperative river basin planning. However, reduced transaction costs alone do not suffice for states to enter into cooperation, but the latter have to be activated by a favourable incentive structure, i.e. high problem pressure or legal or domestic incentives. While these insights hold for most cooperative river basin districts, a few basins that follow a contradictory pattern without reduced transaction costs deserve further attention. The findings shed further light on the influence of contextual factors in shaping water governance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1717   open full text
• River Management and Stakeholders' Participation: The case of the Rhone River, a fragmented institutional setting.
  Christian Bréthaut.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 18, 2016
  There have been many authors who have examined the question of participation and the extent of its influence in water management. The empowerment of stakeholders in decision‐making processes has been a major issue in this field. The involvement of different types of public actor can be enacted in different manners and depends strongly on how the decision‐making process works in reality, on the extent to which actors are truly able to be active in this new participatory process and on who holds the responsibility for its implementation. These variables underline the various obstacles that face the implementation of a true intersectoral participation, one that successfully involves all water users. This article uses the case study of the Rhone River to explore the issues of public participation within a transboundary river where no international basin organization has been able to successfully regroup the different initiatives. I consider this example to be particularly interesting, as it allows for a comparison between different arenas that are not linked, yet are active within the same river basin. In acknowledgement of the increasing number of participatory initiatives, the article highlights and considers the difficulties associated with the implementation of participation within and between fragmented participation arenas. This article proposes an analysis of the different participation arenas of the river through the lens of three analytical variables: social efficiency, substantial efficiency and procedural efficiency. The focus turns to the impact of such a participation structure and questions the increased number of arenas in which stakeholders participate regarding watershed management. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1718   open full text
• Biodiversity Governance from a Cross‐Level and Cross‐Scale Perspective: The case of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil.
  Claudia Oliveira Faria, Alessandra Magrini.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 05, 2016
  Biodiversity has gained international relevance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An important signatory of the agreement, Brazil is a megadiverse country with vast biomes. Internally, the Brazilian federative organization is characterized by discrepancies between the jurisdictional scale and natural boundaries. From a governance perspective, this article analyzes how political administrative bodies deal with biome subsets, using the Atlantic Forest biome as reference. The problem was researched through the dynamics between scales and levels, considering the action of governmental and non‐governmental actors in the process, in the context of an adaptive approach. To overcome the mismatches between the federative structure and the biome, we present the ‘governance of scales’ model, which proposes articulation between the spatial scale and jurisdictional scale, through the institutional and management scales. Previous experiences of the Brazilian government in harmonizing watersheds and the coastal region with federalism enhance the feasibility of our biome‐level proposal. The model is a useful contribution to biodiversity governance in favor of novel arrangements to improve the fit between social and ecological systems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1728   open full text
• The Gold Rush: The popularity of the Gold Tier in Leed Certification.
  Pavel Sandoval, Aseem Prakash.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 05, 2016
  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is the most prominent voluntary environmental program for built environments. It has four tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified. As of 2015, in the United States, 14% of certified buildings are in the Certified tier, 33% in the Silver tier, 45% in the Gold tier and 8% in the Platinum tier. Why is the Gold tier the most popular although it is neither the least expensive option nor the most environmentally friendly one? To investigate this subject, we conducted interviews with owners of 144 properties across 27 US states and Washington, DC. We find that program design, specifically requirements/points for certifying to a specific tier, influences benefits–costs for certifying to different tiers. Other factors driving tier choice include the region in which the property is located, prior experience of the builder/owner with a particular LEED tier, the availability of subcontractors and the norms for leasing time frames. Finally, the nomenclature of different LEED tiers also shapes the value perception. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1724   open full text
• The Role of Trade Associations in Environmental Compliance Under Limited Enforcement: The case of small businesses.
  Eungkyoon Lee, Chan Su Jung, Jooyoung Kwak.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 05, 2016
  Although a substantial body of research has considered the role of non‐state actors in establishing regulatory policies, relatively little research has focused on the influence of such actors at the implementation phase. To fill this gap in the literature, we extend the research on compliance motivations and institutional theory by exploring the role of trade associations in facilitating environmental compliance of small businesses, an area in which the problem of limited enforcement is particularly acute. Using data from dry‐cleaning facilities, we investigate the ways in which a trade association contributes to improvements in environmental performance among its members. The results reveal that the trade association can promote compliance by helping its members to become familiar with regulatory requirements and to develop technical capacity to meet them. Based on the findings, we propose ways to increase the practical involvement of non‐state actors to compensate for enforcement shortfalls. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1723   open full text
• The Indignados as a Socio‐Environmental Movement: Framing the Crisis and Democracy.
  Viviana Asara.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 05, 2016
  This study analyses the framing processes of the Indignados movement in Barcelona, as an exemplar of the latest wave of protests, and argues that it expresses a new ecological–economic way out of the crisis. It finds that the movement was not just a reaction to the economic crisis and austerity policies, but that it put forward a metapolitical critique of the social imaginary and (neo)liberal representative democracy. The diagnostic frames of the movement denunciate the subjugation of politics and justice to economics, and reject the logic of economism. The prognostic frames of the movement advance a vision of socio‐ecological sustainability and of ‘real democracy’, each articulated differently by a ‘pragmatist’ and an ‘autonomist’ faction within the movement. It argues that frames are overarching outer boundaries that accommodate different ideologies. Ideologies can nevertheless also be put into question by antagonizing frames. Furthermore, through the lens of the Indignados critique, the distinction between materialist and post‐materialist values that characterizes the New Social Movement literature is criticized, as ‘real democracy’ is connected to social and environmental justice as well as to a critique of economism and the ‘imperial mode of living’. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1721   open full text
• How Does Hybrid Governance Emerge? Role of the elite in building a Green Municipality in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon.
  Cecilia Viana, Emilie Coudel, Jos Barlow, Joice Ferreira, Toby Gardner, Luke Parry.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 05, 2016
  Decentralized governance can facilitate the participation of non‐government actors in natural resource management. Yet efforts to increase participation can also enhance the power of existing elites. Here, we analyse the role of landowning elites in developing and operating a hybrid governance arrangement in response to the decentralization of anti‐deforestation policy in the Brazilian Amazon. We employ a framework that permits examination of the role played by different actors, the rationale that promoted collaboration in the first place, and the distribution of power that shapes the still evolving governance arrangement. By engaging state and non‐state actors in a hybrid governance partnership, the local landowning elite in Paragominas, a municipality in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, successfully achieved the specific goals set by federal policies to be removed from a high deforestation ‘Red List’. Yet the local governors, together with the rural elite, transformed the crisis generated by inclusion in the Red List into an opportunity to shift the rural economy on a path towards more legalized large‐scale agriculture. By aligning production and conservation objectives, the project attracted medium and large landowners, but also failed to prevent − or potentially exacerbated − the further marginalization of smallholders. Rural elites can effectively mobilize hybrid government arrangements in pursuit of their own interests while also producing wider benefits such as a more stimulated urban economy and strengthened environmental compliance. However, inclusion of more marginalized populations in this process remains a severe and largely unaddressed challenge. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1720   open full text
• ‘Frame Conflicts’ in Natural Resource Use: Exploring Framings Around Arctic Offshore Petroleum Using Q‐Methodology.
  William Davies, James Van Alstine, Jon C. Lovett.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 03, 2016
  Environmental and natural resource issues are often framed in multiple ways by different stakeholders. Given their complexity, how these issues are framed can diverge significantly, leading to ‘frame conflicts’. Frame conflicts have implications for decision makers when addressing socio‐ecological problems; this is especially the case for Arctic offshore petroleum. Q‐methodology is used to explore framings found across a group of stakeholders on the issue of Arctic offshore petroleum development, to empirically demonstrate the extent of frame conflicts and to explore possible bridges for consensus between these framings. The issue was framed in various ways: a global sustainability concern, a development panacea for Arctic communities, an issue where economic reality clashes with environmental idealism and an issue centred on local sustainability concerns. Despite significant divergence across framings, some potential bridges of consensus were evident, centring on ideas of traditional livelihoods, the importance of emphasizing ‘human’ aspects of the debate and the inherent risks involved in Arctic offshore petroleum. The implications and challenges of frame conflicts around Arctic offshore petroleum are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 03, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1729   open full text
• The Governance of Climate Change Adaptation Through Urban Policy Experiments.
  Eric K. Chu.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 03, 2016
  Climate change is increasingly posing risks to infrastructure and public services in cities across the global South. Building on ideas of policy experimentation at the nexus of institutional and transition theories, this paper assesses six climate change adaptation experiments across the cities of Surat, Indore and Bhubaneswar in India to uncover the politics behind how experiments are conceived of, implemented, and supported in light of local development needs. Through employing both embedded and cross‐case comparative methods, I argue that policy experiments are often framed around achieving tangible urban economic benefits and maximizing specific project complementarities, which allow emerging adaptation priorities access to established policy directives and funding streams. However, I conclude that despite being arenas for testing new ideas, quantifying climate and development co‐benefits, and engaging private and civil society actors, adaptation policy experiments must be coherent with urban political economic contexts in order for them to affect sustained, equitable and transformative programmatic change. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 03, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1727   open full text
• Civil Society Organizations’ Experiences of Participative Environmental Mainstreaming: A Political Systems Perspective of a Regional European Polity.
  Paul Chaney.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 20, 2016
  This paper addresses a lacuna in the literature on environmental policy integration by exploring civil society organizations' (CSOs) experiences of participative environmental mainstreaming – a policy imperative to embed environmental concerns in all aspects of policy‐making. A raft of international treaties and laws require this to be operationalized through knowledge exchange and critical engagement between governing elites and exogenous groups. Findings reveal how CSOs’ participation is shaped by electoral politics, party dynamics, veto players and strategic bridging. Respondents also questioned whether mainstreaming is more concerned with legitimation, performativity and the appearance of participative policy‐making than with outcomes. The wider contribution of the study is three‐fold: it reveals the issues and challenges facing CSOs, it underlines the need for adaptive engagement strategies and it shows the contingent nature of state attempts to foster civil society participation in environmental policy‐making. © 2016 The Authors Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  July 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1725   open full text
• Regulating Automakers for Climate Change: US Reforms in Global Context.
  Mark J. Richards.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 20, 2016
  US President Barack Obama's first major domestic climate policy achievement was the enactment of a cluster of environmental policies regarding automotive firms, in particular significant increases in fuel economy standards. Considering automakers' long history of opposition to environmental regulations in the US, Obama's achievement poses an intriguing research puzzle: how was the US able to enact environmental policy regarding the automotive industry? This article considers conventional explanations of policy adoption but also examines whether globalization, including compliance with global regulations, as well as global competition that left US manufacturers in a weakened economic and political state, influenced firms to acquiesce to environmental regulation. This article finds that globalization concerns motivated nearly all firms to acquiesce to the new policies. Policy enactment was facilitated by conditions within the industry, including global competition and production, technological developments, compliance with carbon and fuel economy regulations across the globe, and the financial and political weakness of domestic firms. Conventional explanations also help to explain policy enactment. Where executive authority existed, President Obama enacted policy via the executive branch rather than working with Congress. Policies created by the passage of legislation in Congress were shaped by presidential leadership, partisan control and outside events. Finally, policymakers built coalitions of support among domestic automakers, labor, environmental and consumer groups, and the public. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  July 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1726   open full text
• Municipal Governance and Sustainability: The Role of Local Governments in Promoting Transitions.
  Nora Smedby, Maj‐Britt Quitzau.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. July 18, 2016
  This research addresses local governance for building energy efficiency. In order to turn an increasingly proactive environmental policy agenda at subnational levels into practice, local governments experiment with new forms of governance. One important policy area in this regard is building energy use, often addressed through urban development projects. Such initiatives provide important insight into the role that local governments may play in terms of pushing developers from mainstream building practices towards the uptake of more radical energy efficient solutions by enabling socio‐technical translation. The analysis is based on two case studies from Sweden and Denmark, where the local governments have actively sought to challenge mainstream building practices through a combination of different modes of governing. It is shown how this combination of different modes of governing at the local level provides several translation entries for local governments seeking to foster sustainability transitions. The article concludes that more attention should be directed towards translation as part of the practical environmental governing at the local level. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  July 18, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1708   open full text
• Do Non‐State Perspectives Matter for Treaty Ratification and Implementation? The case of the European Consultation on the Nagoya protocol.
  Amandine Orsini.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 29, 2016
  This article investigates what happens when governmental actors foster the participation of non‐state actors (NSAs) in treaty ratification and implementation decisions. NSAs, being non‐governmental organizations, business groups, citizens, or research institutions, among others, represent interests that will be ultimately impacted by policy choices. While governments have long consulted them on an ad hoc basis, a ‘deliberative turn’ happened in the 2000s to encourage their involvement, for greater legitimacy and transparency through, among others, the use of public consultations. This proactive turn raises questions about public consultations: are such instruments effective? Do they encourage new thinking? Do they matter for final decisions? This article answers these questions by investigating, using lexicometry as main research tool, the public consultation organized by the European Commission in 2011 before the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing by the European Union in 2014. The results are mixed. Although the studied public consultation favoured the expression of small national NSAs, the process remains poorly inclusive. NSAs did not propose any fresh ideas on the access and benefit sharing issue and their final influence on European decision‐makers is blurred by the diversity of interests expressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 29, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1712   open full text
• Striking the Balance Between Renewable Energy Generation and Water Status Protection: Hydropower in the context of the European Renewable Energy Directive and Water Framework Directive.
  Jonida Abazaj, Øystein Moen, Audun Ruud.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 29, 2016
  This article addresses the theoretical and practical challenge faced by the European policy community and Member States trying to simultaneously pursue renewable energy and environmental goals, as incorporated in the EU Renewable Energy Directive and the Water Framework Directive. Through the case of hydropower, which is today at a crossroads between being a renewable electricity source − answering to climate change and energy security concerns − and a local environmental challenge in the light of degradation of river ecosystems and local biodiversity, the article explores the way renewable energy and water protection objectives are integrated inside the Common Implementation Strategy at the EU level. Based on document analysis and interviews, the mapping of the different frameworks shows that old conflicts and controversies related to the hydropower technology have been reopened and reframed to accommodate both the issue of energy security and the discourse on EU sustainability and climate change. Conclusions reveal that despite the creation of a multi‐stakeholder platform for negotiation and collaboration, the Common Implementation Strategy fails on several occasions to explain how to achieve the right balance and leaves unclear what specifically has to be integrated and to what degree. Hence, given the plurality and diversity of values, interests and concerns in relation to hydropower and goals of the Water Framework Directive, a prioritization between water, climate and energy policy goals might be needed, with the possibility of having real winners and losers of the integration process. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 29, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1710   open full text
• Low Carbon Governance: Mobilizing Community Energy through Top‐Down Support?
  Marianna Markantoni.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 17, 2016
  Community energy makes an important contribution to sustainable energy generation, reduction and management, and is a desirable feature of a low carbon future. Renewable community energy is increasingly gaining momentum even in the centralized UK energy market. The challenge of low carbon transitions is faced by multiple territorial governments, and requires inclusive governance arrangements in which a combination of actors work together to implement community strategies towards a climate‐resilient future. Low carbon governance is a multi‐level and (co‐)evolving process, especially in the complex interactions between actors of the core, inner periphery and civil periphery. The devolution of power within the UK has enabled Scotland to establish an ambitious policy agenda for renewable energy. By exploring an established national community energy programme, this study examines the interplay among different actors and looks into how multi‐level governance can be strengthened. This paper combines multi‐level and evolutionary governance theory to understand the extent to which top‐down initiatives facilitate community renewable energy projects and help drive wider system transformations. It concludes that in an evolving policy environment, top‐down support for community energy is a necessary motivator. This requires the state to play a dominant role in directing low carbon transitions, while acting in concert with non‐state, local and regional actors. If communities are to benefit from energy transitions, wider policies must be aligned with community needs, otherwise community energy will be pushed to the margins of the next energy revolution. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  June 17, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1722   open full text
• Normality against Sustainability – Mobility practices of well‐to‐do households.
  Riikka Aro.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 20, 2016
  By focusing on the daily and leisure mobility of well‐to‐do people in Finland, this study contributes to the discordant discussion on the sustainability of well‐to‐do consumers, whose consumption levels are relatively the highest, and concerns whether they are both aware of environmental matters and willing to pay for environmental protection. The interview analysis revealed that, despite general knowledge of environmental issues, sustainability is not relevant to daily practices, and the well‐to‐do studied here are not to any significant degree engaged in sustainable mobility practices, but in a complex organization of daily life. This study also shows that, while there is a shared understanding of saving money and saving time, ‘living according to one's means’ and having more money results in more travel, for instance. Furthermore, repetition and being used to a certain way of doing things resist change in ‘normal’ mobility practices, such as car‐driving and travel by plane, to which dispersed and incoherent policy measures, as well as the inconvenience of alternatives, further contribute. Doing sustainability is mostly viewed as an inconvenience not contributing to personal or family well‐being, and as requiring time. Allocating time for it is not prioritized when organizing a hectic professional life and active leisure time. These findings set a further challenge for the pursuit of sustainable mobility, as they accentuate the need to recognize the forceful nature of ‘normal’ practices co‐evolving with technologies and policies in transforming the unsustainable matters of course, as well as the need for coherent, strong and integrated policy measures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1705   open full text
• Policy and Governance for Sustainable Consumption at the Crossroads of Theories and Concepts.
  Margit Keller, Bente Halkier, Terhi‐Anna Wilska.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 20, 2016
  This introductory article of the special issue compares different conceptual underpinnings of efforts to make the everyday activities of consumers more sustainable. As social practice theory (SPT) is the main theoretical foundation of the articles collected here, we outline its strengths and limitations, when compared with the dominant individual‐oriented behaviour change approach, and we focus on theories of planned behaviour, social marketing as well as ‘choice architecture’, based on behavioural economics. This article analyses SPT's usefulness, particularly from the applied point of view for policy‐makers and social change programme designers. In the final section we provide some recommendations. These consider the need for greater reflexivity and experimentation with the practices of policy‐ and programme‐making and the building of coalitions of ‘distributed interveners’. They also relate to the need for more focus on consumers' workplace practices alongside domestic practices and analysis of and intervention in the material environments and objects in which social practices are embedded. Finally, they are concerned with the identification of moments of transition in consumers' lives and they focus on the ‘transition practices’ that familiarize people with their new life situations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1702   open full text
• Why are Food Practices not (More) Environmentally Friendly in France? The role of collective standards and symbolic boundaries in food practices.
  Sophie Dubuisson‐Quellier, Séverine Gojard.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 20, 2016
  Despite concern about environmental issues, the majority of French households do not adopt eco‐friendly practices. We propose a practice theory approach, enriched by key concepts from Bourdieu (distinction) and Lamont (symbolic boundaries), to understand the links between individual practices and collective frameworks. Drawing on an ethnographic study of 30 households in France, we explore food practices and the way people describe them. Our results are twofold: first, individuals see eco‐friendly practices as strongly related to specific groups and normative standards, from which they may want to distinguish themselves. Even when people display eco‐friendly practices, they associate them with other rationales. Second, because eco‐friendly practices are not widely valued, they do not provide the same rewards as the implementation of other standards that are more consensual. We draw some practical implications for public policies from these results. A desegmentation of eco‐friendly practices might prove useful, allowing them to be associated with wider social groups and to convey more collective positive meanings. Moreover, a large proportion of eco‐friendly practices are in continuity with what individuals are already doing. Their implementation could benefit if it were made coherent with other practices, rather than being portrayed in public discourse as requiring a radical change. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1703   open full text
• Dirtying Linen: Re‐evaluating the sustainability of domestic laundry.
  Luke Yates, David Evans.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 20, 2016
  In tackling and negotiating responsibility for anthropogenic climate change, governments and businesses are increasingly concerned with shaping ‘consumer behaviour’, understood broadly as the ways in which people acquire, appropriate and appreciate goods and services. One intervention considered successful in this respect has been that of encouraging the low‐temperature washing of laundry in the UK in the last decade. This paper draws on data from a quantitative survey of laundry practices conducted in Britain in 2013 (N = 1502) in order to situate the intervention, and the phenomenon of low‐temperature washing, in its wider socio‐cultural context. Our starting point is that laundry habits are a useful example of a household practice in which changes in consumer behaviour have occurred, yet which continue to be increasingly environmentally problematic. Our analysis examines the use of washing machines and the temperature at which people do their laundry in detail; however, it also explores the broader processes through which clothing and other items become designated ‘dirty’ and go on to become ‘clean’. We argue that, in contrast to the well‐documented hegemonic position of the washing machine in UK homes, there is much diversity in how households organize the other tasks involved in doing laundry, particularly in separating, sorting and drying, with important implications for energy use. To conclude, we reconsider low‐temperature washing as an intervention, and outline some policy implications of a more thorough understanding of how laundry, and domestic consumption more generally, is currently handled in the UK. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1704   open full text
• Elusive Practices: Considerations on limits and possibilities of environmental policy for sustainable consumption.
  René John, Melanie Jaeger‐Erben, Jana Rückert‐John.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 20, 2016
  The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development in 1992 brought about a fundamental shift in the mandate of environmental policy. How to protect the environment and nature from citizens was no longer the main issue. Rather, the focus was how to organize majorities among citizens for a collective effort on a societal transformation towards sustainability. The environmental effects of citizens’ everyday routines of consumption came into focus and ways of influencing them were sought. In this paper, one of the strategies German environmental policy employs for observing the everyday consumption of citizens is analyzed. How this approach has evolved during the last decades will be shown, as well as shortcomings of the current approach. Drawing on considerations from theories of social practice, three kinds of reason for these shortcomings are discussed. The first one lies in an ambivalent (or paradoxical) relation of environmental policy‐makers to consumers’ ‘rationality’. The second reason is related to the first and refers to the different horizons of consumers’ everyday practices and practices of environmental policy. The third reason is rooted in the excessive and unrealistic demand on environmental policy that accompanies the sustainability mandate. The paper concludes by suggesting a social innovation‐oriented policy as a way of connecting political goals to actual changes in consumption practices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1706   open full text
• Increasing the Use of Evaluation Through Participation: The experience of a rural sustainable development plan evaluation.
  María‐Angeles Díez, Beatriz Izquierdo, Eduardo Malagón.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 31, 2016
  In recent decades, the use of evaluation has been one of the main concerns of both academics and practitioners, and there has been much controversy throughout the evaluation literature. Different perspectives of evaluation can determine the way evaluation findings are used and the contribution of evaluation to individual and organizational learning is conditioned by stakeholder participation. In this article, our main hypothesis is that stakeholder participation increases evaluation significance, ownership and utilization and, as a consequence, participatory evaluation approaches improve programme governance. We focus on the evaluation of the Rural Sustainable Development Plan in the Basque Country, a context that reveals a complex institutional network (at regional and local level) with a limited tradition of evaluation. To enhance the full scope of participatory evaluation, this article: (i) briefly reviews the theoretical discourse on evaluation utilization; (ii) describes the evaluation context (rural development policy and its governance); (iii) presents the evaluation model as applied to the mid‐term evaluation of the Basque Rural Sustainable Development Plan; and (iv) analyses the use of the evaluation findings and processes according to four dimensions, namely information generation, knowledge generation, orientated‐action utilization and orientated‐policy utilization. Finally, we provide guidance to improve knowledge about evaluation use, participation and good governance, which could be all considered as basic tools for solid institutionalization of sustainable development strategies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 31, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1711   open full text
• Landscape Perceptions and Social Evaluation of Heritage‐Building Processes.
  Alberto Rodríguez‐Darias, Agustín Santana‐Talavera, Pablo Díaz‐Rodríguez.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 30, 2016
  According to the European Landscape Convention, landscapes are how populations perceive and identify their territory. The evaluation of these landscapes and their preservation processes depends on a complex interaction of economic, socio‐demographic and cultural variables. In this paper, we present the results of a quantitative and qualitative study on the influences that gender, place of birth, occupation, income, level of education and proximity of residence to a protected environmental area have on people's evaluation of the process to declare a national park on the island of Fuerteventura (Canary Islands). The results show that the degree and type of involvement with the territory are the most significant variables related to the evaluation of such a process. These variables are essential to consider when reaching agreements with different groups of stakeholders in ‘step zero’ of the declaration of a protected area. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 30, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1709   open full text
• Beyond Mandated Participation: Dealing with hydropower in the context of the water framework directive.
  Judith Feichtinger, Michael Pregernig.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 24, 2016
  This article examines public–private interactions in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Empirically, the study analyses the processes of master planning in the highly contested arena of hydropower in Austria and Bavaria. While the WFD foresees various legally required, ‘mandated’ types of participation, the instrument of master plans was sought and employed as an additional participatory mechanism to develop strategies for mitigating water pressures caused by hydropower. In theoretical terms, the article contributes to the debate on participatory governance and public–private interactions. An analytical framework is developed and applied that recognizes four forms of public–private interaction: state governing, consultative governance, collaborative governance and lobbying. The study shows that in Bavaria the planning process showed some elements of consultation in the early phases, but later on governmental actors backed out and conventional state governing prevailed. In Austria, state governing and traditional lobbying were found to be the dominant patterns of interaction throughout the process. Neither water administration nor hydropower stakeholders opted for more far‐reaching forms of collaboration. The low levels of participation observed in both case study regions can be explained, on the one hand, by the strategic motivations and interests of the involved actors and, on the other hand, by the distinctive politico‐historical context with special discursive dynamics in energy and climate policy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 24, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1699   open full text
• From Risk Governance to City–Citizen Collaboration: Capitalizing on individual adaptation to climate change.
  Christine Wamsler.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. February 24, 2016
  Urban societies are increasingly affected by climatic variability and extremes. In theory, adaptation policy creates the conditions needed to support autonomous adaptation – or deliver public adaptation if autonomous adaptation fails to develop. However, little attention has been given to autonomous adaptation by private households and individuals, and how it is taken into account in cities’ strategic adaptation planning. Against this background, this paper examines the synergies between measures taken by city authorities and citizens, and, more specifically, how public adaptation planning enhances or inhibits private (individual) adaptation. Based on a literature review and an in‐depth study of German municipalities, existing types of city–citizen interaction are systematized. The results show that targeted city–citizen collaboration for climate change adaptation is practically non‐existent. City authorities rarely pay sufficient attention to financial and structural aid for individual adaptation. Conversely, the available municipal support for individual adaptation has little take‐up by members of the public. Furthermore, urban policy and planning often counteract collaboration and the implementation of measures that meet citizens’ capacities and needs. The paper concludes that improving city–citizen collaboration for adaptation co‐production is an important step in fostering transformative adaptation, if the barriers and driving forces identified in the study are addressed. The framework that is presented advances theory on city–citizen interactions for adaptation co‐production, providing a basis for related analyses, action and further research. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  February 24, 2016   doi: 10.1002/eet.1707   open full text
• European Climate Change Perceptions: Public support for mitigation and adaptation policies.
  Bjoern Hagen, Ariane Middel, David Pijawka.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 30, 2015
  This paper presents results from a large multi‐country study focusing on public perceptions of climate change and relevant mitigation and adaptation policies in Spain, Netherlands, UK and Germany. The purpose of this paper is two‐fold: first, to understand the nature of public perceptions of global climate change in different countries; and secondly, to gauge the public's support of climate change measures in terms of mitigation and adaptation policies. Our analysis shows high levels of public indecisiveness regarding the danger climate change poses, which source of climate change information to trust and whether to support any mitigation or adaptation strategies. The high levels of uncertainty present an opportunity to increase policy support and foster behavioural changes in the future through well‐designed communication programmes. Therefore, this study has identified several aspects that need to be considered in future communication programmes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 30, 2015   doi: 10.1002/eet.1701   open full text
• Interagency Aspects of Environmental Policy: The Case of Environmental Health.
  Maya Negev.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. November 17, 2015
  National government agencies typically are fragmented into fields, such as health, environment, transportation, economy and agriculture. Yet, advancing environmental health (EH) policy requires collaboration across agencies. This paper maps instruments for interagency EH cooperation, explores EH policy dynamics in Israel and identifies implications for policy integration. Twenty‐six semi‐structured interviews were conducted with policy‐makers and other stakeholders, and two integration instruments were explored in depth: an interministerial committee and a parliamentary committee. The examination revealed that integration of EH considerations may occur in various policy‐making settings and is sensitive to other inhibiting and facilitating factors, e.g. power relations and political will. In this preliminary qualitative study, higher levels of integration in the policy process did not result in more integrated EH outputs. We conclude that integration of EH considerations can take many forms and levels of cooperation, but always requires attention to the local setting, specific inhibitors and evaluation of outcomes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  November 17, 2015   doi: 10.1002/eet.1700   open full text
• Multi‐Level Environmental Governance: Exploring the economic explanations.
  Jouni Paavola.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. September 17, 2015
  Multi‐level environmental governance (MLEG) has become commonplace, yet few attempts have been made to explain in economic terms why it should have emerged. This article examines four economic explanations for MLEG. The first considers it as a solution for overcoming collective action challenges when a large number of actors are involved. The second explanation is that multiple levels of environmental governance may be needed to minimize governance costs. Thirdly, path dependence could explain MLEG. Fourthly, complex and multifunctional resource systems may generate ecosystem service flows that have benefit catchments of different size, and multi‐level governance solutions may be needed to link providers and beneficiaries. While they are to a degree complementary, the analysis suggests that the multi‐functionality explanation is the most nuanced one of them and offers the best diagnostic for governance challenges that an environmental resource system poses. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

  September 17, 2015   doi: 10.1002/eet.1698   open full text
• Climate Change Agenda at Subnational Level in Mexico: Policy coordination or policy competition?
  Jose Maria Valenzuela.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 30, 2014
  The paper analyses the political challenges and opportunities of advancing the climate change agenda in a developing country under constraints and channels imposed by divided authority at the vertical level and political fragmentation within the state. The articles focuses on historical and political institutional arrangements to approach the current framework of climate change agenda‐setting in Mexico, later analysing the potential changes to the outcomes due to the influence of an international climate change regime. On the one hand, the literature suggests that federalism poses serious limitations to government efficacy due to division of competences, and a similar argument is posed about presidentialism under a politically fragmented regime; on the second hand, transnationalism is depicted to enhance subnational state and non‐state actor leadership roles in many areas, including economic and environmental policy setting. Evidence shows that federalism and the political fragmentation of the presidential regime in Mexico has prevented the federal government from taking assertive steps to influence subnational governments, while some of the heads of politically relevant subnational governments have assumed policy leadership roles, enabled by transnational networks and the Kyoto climate change regime. This balance may change according to the nature of the post‐Kyoto regime, either strengthening the federal government if more responsibility on actions and disbursement is placed on national governments; or enabling subnational government to foster their position, if decentralized and transnational networks are strengthened. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 30, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1638   open full text
• What Role for Public Participation in Implementing the EU Floods Directive? A Comparison With the Water Framework Directive, Early Evidence from Germany and a Research Agenda.
  Jens Newig, Edward Challies, Nicolas Jager, Elisa Kochskämper.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 23, 2014
  We examine the roles and functions of non‐state actor participation in implementing the EU Floods Directive of 2007 (FD). We draw on experiences with participation under the Water Framework Directive (WFD), because of important links between the two directives. Comparing the legal bases and the different functions for participation, we observe the paradoxical situation that while the WFD has fervently advocated public participation public interest has remained low, whereas the FD is less sanguine about participation despite citizens being potentially more affected by flood management issues – particularly given the current trend towards a ‘risk management’ approach under the FD. Our examination of current FD implementation in Germany reveals a considerable variety of participation approaches, as well as a general trend to ‘less’ rather than ‘more’ participation as compared with the WFD. The paper closes by discussing implications for future flood management planning and avenues for comparative research. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 23, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1650   open full text
• Policy Deliberation and the Trading Zone Metaphor: Evaluating Expert Participation in the Reform of Finnish Waste Policy.
  Jarkko Levänen.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 23, 2014
  Policy deliberation is considered an integral part of good policy‐making. In many policy sectors, however, the processes of participation are not developed enough to support the potential for policy deliberation. Expert deliberation carried out as a part of a wider policy process creates a challenging situation because participants are simultaneously expected to solve policy problems collectively while coping with the diverse interests of various stakeholder groups. In this article, I evaluate expert participation in three sequences of a waste policy reformulation process. Two of the sequences represent formal expert participation and the third a more informal one. Of particular interest in the evaluation is the participants’ ability to produce novel solutions for politically sensitive policy problems. The analytical framework for the evaluation is built on the trading zone metaphor inspired by Peter Galison's work. The results of the study indicate that the formal sequences of expert participation were characterized by the strategic behaviour of the participants, which made knowledge networking and the generation of novel ideas difficult, whereas the more informal sequence that was organized around one issue at a time was more capable of producing solutions to long‐standing policy problems. Additionally, the sequences with more formal participation did not contain the elements of interactional expertise associated with successful knowledge networking. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 23, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1651   open full text
• Rescaling Environmental Governance – the Influence of European Transnational Cooperation Initiatives.
  Dominic Stead.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. May 09, 2014
  The increasing transboundary nature of many environmental problems has not only elevated the importance of international environmental governance it has also contributed to shifts in the scales at which these problems are addressed and at which environmental programmes are implemented. The result is that environmental governance is experiencing rescaling which often involves a combination of changes including shifts in powers to other layers of decision‐making, the emergence of new scales of policy intervention and alternative forms of intervention, and the appearance of new actor constellations. The emergence of ‘soft’ policy and programming spaces – multi‐area sub‐regions in which strategy is being made between or alongside formal institutions and decision‐making processes – is another phenomena associated with rescaling. This paper charts the rescaling of environmental governance in part of Europe – the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) – and examines the influence of European macro‐regional cooperation initiatives on the changing nature of environmental governance in the region. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  May 09, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1649   open full text
• Barriers to Resource Efficiency Innovations and Opportunities for Smart Regulations − the Case of Germany.
  Nino David Jordan, Thomas Lemken, Christa Liedtke.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 04, 2014
  There are a variety of economic and ecological benefits to increased resource efficiency. Social, institutional and technical innovations can all contribute towards efficiency increases. Companies face different hurdles in fostering such innovation. Small and medium‐sized companies are subject to specific constraints that may prevent them from benefiting from innovation‐induced resource efficiency improvements. Qualitative interviews were conducted among German small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and intermediaries to identify barriers for resource efficiency innovations and to elaborate a policy mix at the federal level that could help SMEs to overcome these. We found five major barriers to resource efficiency innovations in German SMEs, comprising deficits in innovation culture, inter‐firm cooperation along the value chain, finance, awareness and take‐up of government funds. We propose a distinct policy mix as a response to this situation. The policy mix comprises the interlocking and synergistic elements of government funding schemes, innovation agents and innovation laboratories. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  April 04, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1632   open full text
• Towards a Systematic Framework for the Analysis of Environmental Policy Integration.
  Hens Runhaar, Peter Driessen, Caroline Uittenbroek.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 04, 2014
  Environmental policy integration (EPI) refers to the incorporation of environmental concerns in non‐environmental policy sectors. EPI aims to avoid conflicts between environmental and other policy objectives and to enhance environmental policy by directly targeting the driving forces of environmental degradation. In practice, however, the potential of EPI has not been fully utilized. Scientific knowledge of EPI is found in several, largely isolated, bodies of literature (on EPI, climate policy integration and environmental impact assessment/strategic environmental assessment) and does not provide an adequate answer to the question of what EPI strategies work, where and why. A systematic framework based on comparative empirical research is required to contribute to more effective EPI strategies. In this paper we formulate a research agenda for the development of such a framework on the governance of EPI that is robust, i.e. builds on other theories of environmental governance and policy change and that envisages large‐scale, international comparative empirical analysis. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 04, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1647   open full text
• Rescaling of Resource Governance as Institutional Change: Explaining the Transformation of Water Governance in Southern Spain.
  Andreas Thiel.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. April 04, 2014
  This paper develops a conceptual framework highlighting the functional and constitutional (two‐level) negotiation aspects of water governance rescaling, illustrated by the case of southern Spanish water governance reorganization for the Guadalquivir River Basin. The framework is derived from theories of institutional change and multi‐level governance. A necessary precondition for rescaling is changes in actor‐specific perceptions concerning how to best address priorities of water management through water governance. Predominant in rescaling is its coincidence with a contingent political majority of these actors enabling agreement on changes in governance conforming to existing constitutional rules for negotiation. Ultimately, in southern Spain, the constitutional setting prevented re‐scaling. It had initially been promoted by regional actors benefitting from a contingent political majority at the federal as well as at the state level. The paper highlights that, in the context of transformations of European water governance, in Spain supranational policy‐making is of low significance domestically. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  April 04, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1644   open full text
• Local Environmental Enforcement Constrained by Central–Local Relations in China.
  Ye Qi, Lingyun Zhang.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 14, 2014
  Environmental pollution has become a major health concern and has escalated to a major political issue in China. It has been identified that enforcement of environmental regulation is the weakest link in environmental protection. Local government is often the focus of study because of its legal obligation for enforcement under national environmental law, and for its significance in the complex and intriguing central–local relations in the Chinese government system. We propose an interpretative framework to explain the local environmental enforcement dilemma in China, based on an institutional approach. Local governments tend to underperform. We argue that the overall national institutional environment that defines central–local relations in both political and financial terms is key for explaining why local governments fail to meet their obligations. Local governments tend to promote economic growth and maximize tax revenue, by attracting external investment and protecting polluting businesses, at the expense of environmental quality. Inadequate disclosure of environmental data and occasionally intentionally distorting information obstruct public participation and supervision – a key factor for ensuring the accountability of local enforcement. The policy implications of this analysis are that central government, in its capacity as the rule‐maker, must take action to adjust the existing central–local relations with respect to the political promotion system and the tax‐sharing mechanism. In addition, more stringent procedures and standards must be made by central government regarding the disclosure of environmental data to enable effective public participation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1640   open full text
• Policy Learning and Central–Local Relations: A Case Study of the Pricing Policies for Wind Energy in China (from 1994 to 2009).
  Daphne Ngar‐yin Mah, Peter R. Hills.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 14, 2014
  This paper brings together the key concepts of policy learning and central–local relations to examine how the efficacy of sustainability policies can be improved, with a particular reference to pricing policies for wind energy in China. Based on our comparative case studies of three provinces, Guangdong, Shanghai and Xinjiang, we critically examine how central–local relations may facilitate or impede policy learning. Our analysis focuses on policy changes at the national level, including the move away from the tendering policy to a fixed‐price policy in 2009, and the diversity of local policy responses, which include a local fixed‐price policy in Guangdong, a two‐tiered model in Shanghai and a de facto fixed‐price policy in Xinjiang. We have three major key findings. First, we found that technical and conceptual forms of policy learning have taken place in China, but the progression towards the highest form of policy learning, social learning, is limited. Secondly, we found that the established fabric of central–local relations has created facilitating conditions for as well as limitations to the advancements towards social learning. A national policy framework, a multi‐level governance system, institutional arrangements for knowledge creation and learning, and a more participatory form of governance for civil society are some of the facilitating conditions. However, over‐centralization, the inertia against institutional changes and the failure to recognize the need for a more deliberative decision‐making process are identified as key barriers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1639   open full text
• Non‐Governmental Organizations as Governance Actors for Sustainable Development: The Case of Green Building Councils.
  Sabine Sedlacek.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 14, 2014
  This article examines the role of non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental governance systems with a particular emphasis on non‐state market‐driven governance in the green building industry. Based on an extensive literature review, a conceptual framework of the function of NGOs in environmental governance is developed, focusing on five core aspects – role, power, accountability, legitimacy and acceptance – that define the position of NGOs in a governance system in relation to other stakeholders. The World Green Building Council's (WGBC's) global environmental governance movement has been identified as a dynamic market‐driven governance system. Thus, the paper explores the role of regional green building councils (RGBCs) listed in the WGBC's directory within this newly deployed governance system. The results confirm the proposition that RGBCs grow in their governance and third‐party role as they progress through the development stages proposed by the WGBC. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1643   open full text
• A Green Star Fading? A Critical Assessment of Swedish Environmental Policy Change.
  Erik Hysing.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 14, 2014
  Frontrunner states have been shown to be highly important for the development and diffusion of progressive environmental policies. History shows, however, that frontrunner status is dynamic and that previous leader countries have become laggards. Here I assess recent policy changes in Sweden – a state widely recognized as an environmental frontrunner – arguing that environmental policy practice within areas prioritized by the Government (biodiversity, sustainable energy, the marine environment and climate change) has experienced high‐profile, and from a green perspective highly controversial policy changes. This policy development raises critical concerns for the future role of Sweden as an environmental frontrunner. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1645   open full text
• When is Participatory Local Environmental Governance Likely to Emerge? A study of collective action in participatory municipal environmental councils in Brazil.
  Frank Laerhoven.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 14, 2014
  Why is local environmental governance in Brazil shaped through the collective action of many, frequently interacting actors in some municipalities, whilst in others it does not take the form of deliberative and inclusive decision‐making? I address this question by zooming in on Brazil's Conselhos Municipais de Meio Ambiente (participatory municipal environmental councils). Through multivariate logistical regression (n = 5202), I show that a large business community, combined with ‘small local government’, adds significantly to the likelihood of finding participatory forms of solving environmental problems in a municipality, especially when communities have learned from prior experience with participatory policy‐making in other areas. Through multivariate linear regression (n = 1365), I establish that depth and breadth of participatory environmental governance processes is more likely to increase when, amongst other things, people have previous experience with other types of participatory council, and when there are fewer local government officials per capita. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1646   open full text
• Which Way Does the Wind Blow? Analysing the State Context for Renewable Energy Deployment in the United States.
  Miriam Fischlein, Andrea M. Feldpausch‐Parker, Tarla R. Peterson, Jennie C. Stephens, Elizabeth J. Wilson.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 04, 2014
  Wind power is an important low‐carbon technology and the most rapidly growing renewable energy technology in the US, but there is significant state‐by‐state variation in wind power distribution. This variation cannot be explained solely by wind resource patterns or US state policy and points to the importance of both local and central governance. We outline the national context for wind deployment in the US and then explore the sub‐national, state‐level factors shaping wind deployment patterns. We probe the socio‐political context across four US states by integrating multiple research methods. Through comparative state‐level analysis of the energy system, energy policy, public discourse as represented in the media and state‐level, energy policy stakeholders' perceptions we examine variation in the context for wind deployment in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana and Texas. Our results demonstrate that different patterns of wind deployment and different debates about wind power have emerged in each locale. Participants across the different states appear to frame the risks and benefits of wind power in significantly different ways. We discuss the impact of risks and benefit frames on energy policy outcomes. The comparative assessment highlights the complex interplay between central and local governance and explores the significant socio‐political variation between states. The study contributes to the understanding of energy technology deployment processes, decision‐making and energy policy outcomes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  March 04, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1636   open full text
• ‘Going Green’?: The Limitations of Behaviour Change Programmes as a Policy Response to Escalating Resource Consumption.
  Susie Moloney, Yolande Strengers.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. March 04, 2014
  This paper contributes to a growing body of literature highlighting the limitations of behaviour change and the emergence of a social practice approach to reframe responses to escalating resource consumption. Drawing insights from interviews with Australian households and workshops with behaviour change practitioners, we demonstrate how the ‘Going Green’ discourse, which focuses on targeting individuals to participate in ‘easy’ sustainability actions, overlooks the majority of consumption implicated in everyday practices. This leaves unchallenged the complex ways in which our lives are becoming more resource intensive. We argue for an ontological framing of social change underpinned by theories of social practice. Rather than considering policies, regulations and infrastructures involving urban form, housing, transport and infrastructure provision as ‘external factors’ separate from behaviour, practice theories accord them integral status in the constitution of social order and change. This represents a more challenging agenda for practitioners and governments in shifting and transforming everyday life. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  March 04, 2014   doi: 10.1002/eet.1642   open full text
• Central‐Local Relations in French Energy Policy‐Making: Towards a New Pattern of Territorial Governance.
  François‐Mathieu Poupeau.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 28, 2013
  After a long period of centralization, local authorities have been taking a new place in the French energy sector. This revival began in the 1990s with the process of deregulation, which gave them new room for manoeuvre. This continued into the 2000s, when energy efficiency and climate change issues were set on the political agenda. This process led many practitioners and academic researchers to consider these two last decades as a turning point, which initiates a new model of governance, one that is far more decentralized than in the past. Here, we discuss this hypothesis and show that this recent ‘activism’ at local level associated with a change in State intervention has been leading to a new pattern of territorial governance in France that is not at odds with the past but rather is in continuity with it. Using the neo‐institutional approach developed by James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen, we focus on three main dimensions that play a ‘homeostatic’ role: the production structure, ideas and institutional arrangements. This leads us to develop an interpretation of ongoing changes in terms of an ‘aggiornamento’ of the former pattern of governance, rather than any real breakdown. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 28, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1637   open full text
• Leveling the Playing Field: Fostering Collaborative Governance Towards On‐Going Reconciliation.
  Melanie Zurba.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 28, 2013
  This paper looks at the potential for collaborative governance for land and resources to become a form of on‐going reconciliation in societies transitioning from past oppression and on‐going social injustice. Structural violence in the form of capacity disparities and policy configuration are explored in order to frame the discussion. Canada and South Africa are presented as two countries that have been going through different experiences in terms of transition, but have had similar experiences in regards to a need to foster new ways of working towards more equitable forms of governance. Here, much like reconciliation, governance is presented as a process, which under the right conditions can lead to relationship building and mutually desirable outcomes. This process creates a platform for establishing common ground, as well as the potential to negotiate solutions to structural violence. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  December 28, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1631   open full text
• Environmental Policy Can Happen: Shuttle Diplomacy and the Reality of Reg Neg Lite.
  Sara Rinfret, Jeffrey Cook.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 28, 2013
  In an era of congressional gridlock, innovation and pathways for the future of environmental policymaking are needed. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long been an innovator in environmental decisionmaking, reconciling stakeholder differences. Yet, with the decline of negotiated rulemaking (‘reg neg’), the purpose of our examination is to offer insights into how a contemporary US EPA creates rules. This exploratory study examines original interview data from actors involved during the creation of EPA rules to suggest that a present‐day EPA uses a new approach, shuttle diplomacy, to develop rules. The findings from our research suggest that this new rule development method can help agencies that might operate in an adversarial environment to reconcile stakeholder differences while writing the language of a proposed rule before publishing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. We argue that this new rule development model is important for understanding the next generation of environmental rulemaking, not only in the US, but internationally as well. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  December 28, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1641   open full text
• The Significance of the Non‐Timber Forest Products Policy for Forest Ecology Management: A Case Study in West Bengal, India.
  Somnath Ghosal.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. December 28, 2013
  A precise non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) policy can play an important role in the preservation of the forest resource base. By promoting systematic and sustainable harvesting of forest products, the exploitation of forest resources can be reduced and the socio‐economic status of marginal forest dwellers can also be improved, which will subsequently reduce illegal timber harvesting. In India, brief guidelines for the harvesting of NTFPs are placed in the Joint Forest Management resolution. However, these guidelines are not equally effective in all states because of micro‐level geophysical variances, forest–human relationships and the characteristics of the forests. Therefore, some south Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have developed their own NTFP harvesting policy for the sustainable management of forests through the socio‐economic enhancement of forest dwellers. However, in West Bengal the central government's guidelines are still followed. This paper examines the need for a precise NTFP harvesting policy for the management of forests in West Bengal through the socio‐economic improvement of forest fringe tribal communities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  December 28, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1630   open full text
• Understanding the Implications of Environmental taxes: The Case of the Danish Weight Based Packaging Product Charge.
  Enian Cela, Shinji Kaneko.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 14, 2013
  Packaging products, in particular those made from plastic, are playing an increasingly significant role in our everyday life. Because of the environmental issues associated with packaging, European countries, in particular EU member states, have long applied various policies to deal with this issue. One policy option that is rarely applied to packaging is taxation in the form of material levies or product charges. However, Denmark has applied product charges in the form of weight based tariffs since 1999. The purpose of the product charge is to stimulate a decrease in the demand for virgin packaging (packaging newly entering the market). This paper examines the effectiveness of Denmark's packaging charge, with a focus on non‐beverage plastic packaging. Applying a trade gravitation regression model incorporating import quantity as the dependent variable and a tax dummy amongst the explanatory variables, the analysis explores the effectiveness of the tax policy in reducing import demand. From a sample of 19 major exporters and an analysis covering the period between 1994 and 2007, we conclude that the product charge policy did not produce the desired effect. We conclude by suggesting that policy makers adopt a cautious approach to the adoption of environmental taxes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 14, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1608   open full text
• Compact City Development and the Challenge of Environmental Policy Integration: A Multi‐Level Governance Perspective.
  Rien Stigt, Peter P. J. Driessen, Tejo J. M. Spit.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 14, 2013
  Sustainable urban development entails integration of environmental interests into decision‐making at the local level. To achieve this, higher tiers of government may compel municipalities to explicitly consider environmental objectives or even prioritize them by demanding compliance with national standards, thus, at least theoretically, restricting local government's room to manoeuvre in balancing all relevant interests. This paper explores the extent to which national standards narrow the range of local options and what this means for sustainable urban development. Adopting a multi‐level governance perspective on three cases of inner‐city redevelopment, we find that environmental standards are either not problematically restrictive or, if they are, sectoral policy offers ways to circumvent them. From a sustainability perspective, this may lead to undesirable outcomes. A combination of approaches may solve this predicament. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 14, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1615   open full text
• When Policy Hits the Ground. An Empirical Study of the Communication Practices of Project Managers of a Water Board in Conversations for Collaborative Governance.
  P. Lems, N. Aarts, C. M. J. Woerkum.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 14, 2013
  Civil servants organize collaborations with private actors with the aim of developing policy outcomes that fit environmental policy frameworks, shaping the course and outcome of collaborations through their communication practices. To investigate these practices and their effect, we conducted a case study, shadowing project managers from a Dutch water board. We identified two distinct communication practices: frame incorporation and frame amplification. These practices respectively expanded or narrowed a process of collaborative governance, either purposefully by building social capital or unintentionally by distancing the conversation partner and his concern. The structural difference between these practices suggests that civil servants lack shared practices that foster collaboration. Interestingly, in neither practice do the civil servants discursively acknowledge their dependence on their conversation partner's support, and thus they deny that they are participating in a negotiation process: they claim that their conversation partner should cooperate. In effect, their conversation partners bypass the incorporation and amplification practices. The research suggests that, of the two practices identified, only incorporation builds the social capital that enables civil servants to switch to another approach in future interactions and start an integrative negotiation on problems and solutions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

  August 14, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1618   open full text
• Growing Green Democracy? Barriers to Ecological Modernization in Democratizing States.
  Thomas O'Brien.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. August 14, 2013
  Ecological modernization has established an important position in the field of environmental politics. The adoption of technocratic solutions to environmental challenges is attractive to policymakers. Ecological modernization enables such an approach, in combination with mechanisms for participation and reflexive policy development. However, there are questions regarding the applicability of the concept to political contexts differing from those in the Northern European states in which it first emerged. This paper examines the challenges associated with adopting ecological modernization in the context of democratization and draws on analysis of the development of environmental politics in Bulgaria to illustrate the difficulties identified. The findings suggest that the adoption of ecological modernization during a period of democratization may lead to the hardening of closed technocratic policy‐making, limiting wider participation and preventing the development of stronger and more reflexive forms of ecological modernization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  August 14, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1617   open full text
• Linking Environmental Citizenship and Civic Engagement to Public Trust and Environmental Sacrifice in the Asian Context.
  Myung H. Jin, Avrum J. Shriar.
  Environmental Policy and Governance. June 25, 2013
  Despite the increasing interest in collaborative governance, existing literature on the subject focuses mostly on what government can do for citizens while ignoring the roles of citizens. Utilizing data from the 2010 International Social Survey Program on an environment this study builds on previous work on the link between citizen participation and public trust by comparing the effects of environmental citizenship and other methods of civic engagement on trust in government and on citizens’ willingness to sacrifice for environmental causes. The main findings suggest that while environmental citizenship is generally a consistent predictor of both public trust in government and citizens’ willingness to sacrifice for environmental causes, civic engagement experience was significantly associated only with enhancing willingness to sacrifice for environmental causes. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

  June 25, 2013   doi: 10.1002/eet.1613   open full text