Who shapes local climate policy? Unpicking governance arrangements in English and German cities

Tools

Eckersley, P. ORCID: 0000-0001-9048-8529, 2018. Who shapes local climate policy? Unpicking governance arrangements in English and German cities. Environmental Politics, 27 (1), pp. 139-160. ISSN 0964-4016

Preview

Text
PubSub10863_Eckersley.pdf - Post-print
Download (516kB) | Preview

Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2017.1380963

Abstract

A new framework for analysing subnational policy-making is applied to climate governance in the 'twin towns' of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gelsenkirchen. Low levels of resource interdependence between central and local government in England mean that Newcastle Council has to rely heavily on other horizontal actors to achieve its climate objectives. In contrast, Gelsenkirchen Council receives substantial support from higher tiers of government, which gives it greater control over policymaking within the locality. Greater independence between tiers of government can make it more difficult for subnational bodies to adopt the kind of ambitious policies that may be necessary to combat wicked and/or significant policy challenges such as climate change. Instead, interdependent 'joint-decision' systems, which facilitate mutual support across tiers of government, may be better equipped to ensure that subnational public bodies have the capacity to act appropriately.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

Environmental Politics

Creators:

Eckersley, P.

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date:

2018

Volume:

Number: