Climate adaptation policy Lock-ins: a 3 x 3 approach
Some societal sectors are more prepared for climate change than others. In some sectors actors are in full swing adapting plans and policies to climate change, whereas in others nothing is done yet, or only selective action is being taken. In the project that has now been funded, “ lock-ins” are presented as a potential explanation for inaction or selective action in climate adaptation policy. Lock-ins are frozen situations, in which mutually reinforcing constraints result in path dependencies, and climate change cannot or will not be taken into account. Several types of lock-ins are studied in the project, including infrastructural and institutional lock-ins. To understand this, one can think of Dutch water management, which has invested billions of dollars in dikes and dams, maintained and upheld by so-called waterboards, a system geared towards a particular way of providing water security. Alternate approaches, for instance eco-system based approaches to climate adaptation, have a tough time landing in such a context. The project will focus on the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Comparative research will be done about policies pertaining to the water sector, health care and nature policy (3x3). The core question is whether the policies pertaining to these sectors in the three countries show signs of lock-ins or not, why that is the case, and ultimately whether and how lock-ins can be overcome or prevented altogether.
About Dave Huitema and team
Dr. Dave Huitema is Professor of Environmental Policy at the Open University. His research focus is on environmental policy, specifically on policy-oriented learning and innovation, the role of policy experiments and policy evaluation in enhancing policy dynamics, and the strategies of policy entrepreneurs. He is one of the editors of the book 'Governing Climate Change: Polycentricity in Action?', recently published in open access at Cambridge University Press.
Dr. Angela Oels is assistant professor Environmental Governance at the Open University of the Netherlands. Her research is about big data and artificial intelligence and the role that they can play in sustainability transitions. Dr. Angela Oels is project leader for the project “Making the smart city safe for citizens”, currently financed under the OU research program “Safety in Urban Environments”.
Programme Open Research Area for the Social Sciences
Funding comes from the Open Research Area for the Social Sciences (ORA); a programme jointly implemented by the national funding organizations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Economic and Social Research Council from the United Kingdom and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Applicants were asked to submit summary applications, which about 300 applicants did. These were then assessed by a panel of experts. The applications of the highest quality were then invited to submit a full proposal. 63 project teams were invited to the second phase. These proposals were peer reviewed and then evaluated by a panel of international academics. A total of EUR 17 million has been allocated to 16 teams of researchers.
