WP 2: Cross-national inventory of types of institutionalization of KB in climate policy

In the field of climate change mitigation and adaptation, a great number of scientific advisory bodies have been established both at the national and at the international level, with IPCC undoubtedly being the most prominent one. Contrary to general perception, scientific policy advice not only takes place in classical formats, like IPCC-like expert panels or advisory committees, but – especially when seen from the broader perspective of KB – takes on much more varied forms. Venues and modes of KB range from IT-based integrated assessment tools (like the German DINAS-COAST) to collaborative planning and decision-making fora (like the Regional Adaptation Collaboratives in Canada), from ad hoc consultancy contracts to long-term thematic research programs (like the U.S. Global Change Research Program), from intergovernmental panels (like the flagship IPCC) to private think tanks (like Climate & Environment Consulting Potsdam).

While the idea of a linear transfer of scientific knowledge into politics still prevails as a guiding model in the imagination of many scientists and policy makers and, as a consequence, we still see many advisory bodies being modeled along this idea, we also witness the emergence of a range of new ideas and approaches for how to shape and institutionalize science-policy interactions in a more interactive and reflexive way. Those more innovative forms of climate KB can provide useful policy options and guidance for climate policy in Austria and, potentially, also for other (industrialized) countries.

 

WP2 aims to systematically map and scrutinize different (traditional but mainly new) forms of KB as employed in various industrialized countries. This stock-taking survey promises to give a broad overview on how climate KB is institutionalized in selected countries and what differentiates more from less successful forms of institutionalization. In the stock-taking survey, approximately 30-40 cases in some 12-15 countries will be studied.

 

In line with its exploratory character, the stock-taking survey in WP2 will build on a reduced set of overarching dimensions and criteria of analysis. Investigations will mainly focus on (i) the basic forms of institutionalization of KB and (ii) a rough estimate of their effectiveness or ‘success’.

 

The stock-taking survey of WP2 serves two ancillary functions: First, as its direct product it will issue a compendium of modes and forms of KB in climate policy, including succinct (1-2 page) profiles of each individual case and a theory-driven classification of all the cases. Second, the survey will give guidance for the selection of interesting cases with most relevance for the Austrian context to be studied in depth in WP3.