The black box of power in polycentric environmental governance

• Published in: Global environmental change 2019-07, Vol.57, p.101934, Article 101934
• Main Authors: Morrison, T.H., Adger, W.N., Brown, K., Lemos, M.C., Huitema, D., Phelps, J., Evans, L., Cohen, P., Song, A.M., Turner, R., Quinn, T., Hughes, T.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental changes; Environmental governance; Environmental impact; Environmental policy; Governance; Natural resource management; Policy implementation; Polycentric governance; Power; Social interactions; Sustainability
• ISSN: 0959-3780; 1872-9495
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101934

•Structural analyses of polycentric governance do not explain adverse outcomes.•Exertion of power in polycentric environmental governance explains adverse outcomes.•Polycentric actors exert three types of power: by design, pragmatic, and framing.•The three types of power can be visible, hidden, repressive, and enabling.•The three types of power affect and are affected by different types of polycentricity. Failure to address unsustainable global change is often attributed to failures in conventional environmental governance. Polycentric environmental governance—the popular alternative—involves many centres of authority interacting coherently for a common governance goal. Yet, longitudinal analysis reveals many polycentric systems are struggling to cope with the growing impacts, pace, and scope of social and environmental change. Analytic shortcomings are also beginning to appear, particularly in the treatment of power. Here we draw together diverse social science perspectives and research into a variety of cases to show how different types of power shape rule setting, issue construction, and policy implementation in polycentric governance. We delineate an important and emerging research agenda for polycentric environmental governance, integrating diverse types of power into analytical and practical models.