JoAnn Carmin

Urban Climate Adaptation in the Global South Planning in an Emerging Policy Domain

Cities throughout the world face the challenge of preparing for climate change impacts. Since urban climate adaptation is an emerging policy domain, however, few institutions exist to guide cities among the first to take action. Drawing on institutional theory and case study research, this article examines the initiation and development of adaptation planning in two cities in the global south: Durban and Quito. The cases suggest that action in nascent policy domains is motivated by endogenous factors and sustained by taking advantage of opportunities rising and creatively linking new agendas to existing goals, plans, and programs.

Stakeholder Involvement in the Design of U.S. Voluntary Environmental Programs: Does Sponsorship Matter?

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) promise to provide firms and facilities additional flexibility in managing their environmental affairs while increasing internal efficiencies and improving their public image. Although stakeholder input is thought to improve program development, little is known about the extent that stakeholders are involved in the VEP design process. Based on a survey of 61 program managers, this research distinguishes between the intensity and diversity of stakeholder involvement and uses these two concepts to assess VEP development relative to government, industry and third-party sponsorship. Even in the absence of a mandate, all three sponsors include a variety of stakeholders in program design. While there is evidence that collaborative relationships are developing between sponsors and a range of stakeholder groups, variations in the intensity of involvement among sponsors suggest that some stakeholders may have disproportionate levels of influence in the design of VEPs.

Selecting Repertoires of Action in Environmental Movement Organizations An Interpretive Approach

Environmental movement organizations (EMOs) that have similar goals frequently rely on different tactics and strategies to advance their agendas. This article uses an interpretive perspective to examine the factors influencing EMO selection of a repertoire of action. Building on concepts from organization and social movement theories, and relying on interview and archival data from Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, this study suggests that experience, core values and beliefs, environmental philosophy, and political ideology work together to create distinct organizational interpretations of the political environment, efficacy of action, acceptability of tactics, significance of an issue, and source of the problem. These interpretations combine to shape EMO determinations of what types of action will be most appropriate and effective. Although structural factors influence the decisions that are made within EMOs, organizations also rely on interpretive processes in their selection of a repertoire of action.

Inclusive approaches to urban climate adaptation planning and implementation in the Global South

As cities increasingly engage in climate adaptation planning, many are seeking to promote public participation and facilitate the engagement of different civil society actors. Still, the variations that exist among participatory approaches and the merits and tradeoffs associated with each are not well understood. This article examines the experiences of Quito (Ecuador) and Surat (India) to assess how civil society actors contribute to adaptation planning and implementation. The results showcase two distinct approaches to public engagement. The first emphasizes participation of experts, affected communities, and a wide array of citizens to sustain broadly inclusive programmes that incorporate local needs and concerns into adaptation processes and outcomes. The second approach focuses on building targeted partnerships between key government, private, and civil society actors to institutionalize robust decision-making structures, enhance abilities to raise funds, and increase means to directly engage with local community and international actors. A critical analysis of these approaches suggests more inclusive planning processes correspond to higher climate equity and justice outcomes in the short term, but the results also indicate that an emphasis on building dedicated multi-sector governance institutions may enhance long-term programme stability, while ensuring that diverse civil society actors have an ongoing voice in climate adaptation planning and implementation. Policy relevance Many local governments in the Global South experience severe capacity and resource constraints. Cities are often required to devolve large-scale planning and decision-making responsibilities, such as those critical to climate adaptation, to different civil society actors. As a result, there needs to be more rigorous assessments of how civil society participation contributes to the adaptation policy and planning process and what local social, political, and economic factors dictate the way cities select different approaches to public engagement. Also, since social equity and justice are key indicators for determining the effectiveness and sustainability of adaptation interventions, urban adaptation plans and policies must also be designed according to local institutional strengths and civic capacities in order to account for the needs of the poor and most vulnerable. Inclusivity, therefore, is critical for ensuring equitable planning processes and just adaptation outcomes.

Enlarging EU Environments: Central and Eastern Europe from Transition to Accession

Since the collapse of communist rule, many aspects of the environmental policy agendas in Central and East European (CEE) states have been influenced by the desire to join the EU. This introduction presents key concepts and issues associated with the transition away from the communist systems and the process of EU expansion in CEE countries. Specifically, it examines major political and environmental changes that have taken place since 1989, discusses the role of foreign assistance in these transitions, and summarises the ‘Europeanisation’ turn in contemporary social science research. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of the ways that the contributions to this volume augment conventional views of eastern enlargement of the EU.

Voluntary associations, professional organisations and the environmental movement in the United States

This research examines the relationship between voluntary and professional environmental organisations in the United States. A content analysis of newspaper abstracts for a 15 year period suggests that the unconventional actions of voluntary groups precede similar types of activities of professional organisations by one or more years. Although their actions are interrelated, voluntary groups often identify and respond to emerging issues while professional organisations tend to focus on shaping the policy agenda and affecting policy outcomes. The combined activities of voluntary associations and professional organisations make it possible for the environmental movement to retain a presence and advance environmental policy.

Environmental mobilisation and organisations in post-socialist Europe and the former Soviet Union

How have environmental movements and organisations evolved in the two decades since the end of state socialism? Focusing upon how the impact of external forces, the core debates concern how changing political opportunities and access to resources as a consequence of European Union accession have impacted on environmental NGOs, as well as the effects more generally of contentious transnational assistance and tutelage offered to local activist networks by US and west European donors. Theoretical and conceptual debates regarding dependency and co-option, versus channelling and new governance, are examined. Have environmental actors and movements in these transitional states and new democracies aligned with the trajectory predicted by scholars 20 years ago? To what extent have longstanding environmental values, modes of political engagement and submerged networks buffered and even transmuted the impact? Why, and to what extent, do the movements and organisations of the region retain a distinctive character and profile?

Resources, opportunities and local environmental action in the democratic transition and early consolidation periods in the Czech Republic

This research examines factors shaping the responses of Czech communities to proposed landfills, incinerators, highways and protected area development between 1992 and 1996. Structured interviews conducted with the mayors of 237 communities revealed that: incinerator and highway proposals were related to individual interactions with officials; increased political opportunities also were associated with individual interactions with elected officials; and newly available resources such as independent media, technical assistance, and local environmental organisations were related to institutional participation and more expressive behaviours. These patterns suggest that in transitional states, specific issues and political openness may draw people into local environmental politics, but it is the presence of resources typically associated with democratic systems that provides support for institutional and collective forms of action.

Leveraging Local Action Grassroots Initiatives and Transboundary Collaboration in the Formation of the White Carpathian Euroregion

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become influential actors in policy and political decision-making. Using a case study of the formation of the White Carpathian Euroregion, this article examines how the actions of local and regional NGOs change in response to shifting political opportunities and how these groups can influence domestic policy and relations between states. The results suggest that NGOs work to advance their agendas by relying on strategies based on communication, leverage and community development. As new political conditions emerge, NGOs rely on the same general strategies, but vary the specific tactics they select based on the degree of political access and receptivity. This study further demonstrates that when domestic NGOs pursue a long-term vision, even when the political context is not favorable, they can gain credibility and establish a basis for action that they can then leverage to foster local, regional and international change when new political opportunities emerge.

Assessing Conventional Wisdom: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities beyond Eastern Accession

Central and East European (CEE) states are implementing sweeping environmental policy reforms as they gain EU membership. This concluding chapter draws attention to key arguments in the volume and elaborates on four key themes that enrich conventional notions about Europeanisation and challenge prevailing views about the impacts that CEE states are having on environmental quality in an enlarged EU: the importance of capacity limitations and efforts to address them, the pesence of mixed messages and conflicting EU priorities, the importance of non-state actors, and the need for multi-directional exchange of ideas and information. These themes suggest, among other things, that EU officials and programs are capable of greatly improving some areas of environmental policy in CEE countries even as they make some areas of policy and societal behaviour less sustainable. This essay includes discussions of some possible ramifications of a larger EU for global environmental governance and some lessons from the 2004 enlargement that may inform understanding of future rounds of EU expansion.