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Governments all over the world are struggling with the question of how to adapt to climate change. They need information not only about the issue and its possible consequences, but also about feasible governance strategies and instruments to combat it. At the same time, scientists from different social disciplines are trying to understand the dynamics and peculiarities of the governance of climate change adaptation.
This book demonstrates how action-oriented research methods can be used to satisfy the need for both policy-relevant information and scientific knowledge. Bringing together eight case studies that show inspiring practices of action research from around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Vietnam and the Netherlands, the book covers a rich variety of action-research applications, running from participatory observation to serious games and role-playing exercises. It explores many adaptation challenges, from flood-risk safety to heat stress and freshwater availability, and draws out valuable lessons about the conditions that make action research successful, demonstrating how scientific and academic knowledge can be used in a practical context to reach useful and applicable insights.
The book will be of interest to scholars and students of climate change, environmental policy, politics and governance.
List of contents
Preface 1. The governance of adaptation to climate change and the need for actionable knowledge: The challenges of climate change adaptation and the promise of action research 2. Forms and foundations of action research 3. Action research in governance landscapes: Partnering with city guides and gatekeepers 4. Participation in climate change adaptation in the Lower Vam Co River Basin in Vietnam: Serious games as tools for action research 5. Understanding institutionalized ways of knowing climate risks: reflections on action research for participatory knowledge production 6. Governance of climate adaptation in Australia: design charrettes as a creative tool for participatory action research 7. Adaptive governance in practice: a learning approach based on action research designed for the implementation of climate adaptation measures 8. Scaling innovation in climate change planning: serious gaming in Portland and Copenhagen 9. Using role-play simulations to encourage adaptation: serious games as tools for action research 10. Adaptive flood risk management for unembanked areas in Rotterdam: co-creating governance arrangements for local adaptation strategies 11. Action research for the governance of adaptation to climate change: conclusions and lessons learnt
About the author
Arwin van Buuren is
Associate Professor of Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Jasper Eshuis is
Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Mathijs van Vliet is Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Public Administration and Policy at Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
Summary
This book presents a diverse range of case studies in action-research methods used to support the governance of climate adaptation, examining the reasons for using action research in this particular policy domain, its main pitfalls and problems, as well as the advantages and results.
Additional text
"This book manages both to advance the academic understanding of emerging phenomena of governance of climate adaptation as well as to significantly enrich and develop the debate about action-research. By providing practical experiences from a highly innovative Dutch research programme and contrasting them with case studies from other countries, the volume helps not only academics, but also societal decision makers to address the manifold challenges of climate adaptation more effectively."
Bernd Siebenhuber, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany
"Given the failure of collective action on global carbon emissions reductions, collective action to manage the consequences of climate change becomes one of the great challenges of the future. This book is an important contribution to understanding key problems in governing climate adaptation, drawing on over ten years of Dutch and international research."
Frans Berkhout, King's College London and Future Earth, UK
