The Evaluation of Polycentric Climate Governance

Explores the importance of policy evaluation in polycentric climate governance using the European Union as an example.

Jonas J. Schoenefeld (Author)

9781316511244, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 July 2023

350 pages
24.4 x 17 x 1.6 cm, 0.649 kg

'Evaluating public policies is analytically demanding, which is the reason why the most compelling studies concentrate on one or a few cases. Jonas Schoenefeld demonstrates with this well designed and executed study that rigorous and yet comprehensive evaluation is possible. He also contributes to the growing body of research on polycentric climate governance by making the case that it is necessary to identify its concrete empirical implications and to subject them to an analysis of how they deliver on their theoretically derived promise in the real world.' Jale Tosun, University of Heidelberg

Polycentric climate governance holds enormous promise, but to unleash its full force, policy evaluation needs a stronger role in it. This book develops Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom's important work by offering fresh perspectives from cutting-edge thinking on climate governance and policy evaluation. Driven by theoretical innovation and empirical exploration, this book not only argues for a stronger connection between polycentric climate governance and practices of evaluation, but also demonstrates the key value of doing so with a real-world, empirical test in the polycentric setting of the European Union. This book offers a crucial step to take climate governance to the next level. It will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in climate governance, as well as practitioners who seek to enhance climate action, which is needed to avoid a climate catastrophe and to identify a pathway towards the 1.5° Celsius target in the Paris Agreement.

1. Introduction
2. Policy Evaluation in Polycentric Governance Systems
3. Climate Policy Evaluation: The EU Level, Germany, and the UK
4. State-Funded Evaluation
5. Society-Funded Evaluation
6. Comparing State-Funded and Society-Funded Evaluation
7. Evaluation in Polycentric Governance: A Theoretical Analysis
8. Conclusions and New Directions
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
References
Index.

Subject Areas: International environmental law [LBBP]