Multilevel governance in climate change adaptation in Bangladesh: structure, processes, and power dynamics

Climate change adaptation requires the engagement of multiple actors in different sectors and at various levels of governance. The different roles played by policy actors and their interactions shape the process of adaptation governance. Nevertheless, to date, there has been limited attention paid t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Regional environmental change 2021-09, Vol.21 (3), Article 75
Main Authors: Ishtiaque, Asif, Eakin, Hallie, Vij, Sumit, Chhetri, Netra, Rahman, Feisal, Huq, Saleemul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Analysis
Climate adaptation
Climate Change
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Coastal zone
Coasts
Decision making
Dynamic structural analysis
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Geography
Global temperature changes
Nature Conservation
Network analysis
Oceanography
Organizations
Original Article
Politics
Power
Public sector
Regional/Spatial Science
Social network analysis
Social networks
Social organization
Society
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Summary:Climate change adaptation requires the engagement of multiple actors in different sectors and at various levels of governance. The different roles played by policy actors and their interactions shape the process of adaptation governance. Nevertheless, to date, there has been limited attention paid to how the structure of relations and their associated power dynamics between these actors affect adaptation governance process at different levels. In this study, we analyzed the structure, processes, and power dynamics entailed in the multilevel governance of adaptation to floods in coastal areas of Bangladesh. We used social network analysis approach to map and unpack the interactions between actors that influence the adaptation governance. We categorized five types of organizations based on the structural attributes of the governance network and their functions. Our analysis shows that the organizations with high influence over the governance process reside at the national level and the adaptation governance process is influenced by elite-pluralism. We found that both top-down and bottom-up processes co-exist in different phases of adaptation governance (planning, implementation, and monitoring). Lastly, we conclude that a more equitable redistribution of power (roles and responsibilities) may diminish the negative implications of federal centralization in adaptation governance.
ISSN:1436-3798
1436-378X
DOI:10.1007/s10113-021-01802-1