Based on a survey of civil servants in the Norwegian central government, this article describes perceptions of coordination capacity and examines to what degree the variations in perceived coordinating capacity can be explained by structural and cultural features. In particular, it focuses on the significance of wicked policy areas. Overall the coordination capacity is weaker in wicked policy areas than in other policy areas. Controlling for other features the coordination capacity is primarily related to cultural factors, such as mutual trust, level of conflict, and identification with the central government. Some structural features, such as administrative level, also have an effect.

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This paper examines the concept of spatial optimism, defined as the tendency for individuals to perceive climate change as less threatening to themselves than to people in geographically more distant locations. Existing studies find mixed evidence of this phenomenon, while the methods employed often fail to rule out confounding factors. To resolve these empirical and methodological tensions, the paper presents results from a survey experiment fielded in nine countries spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. The survey finds that respondents systematically perceive climate change as a greater threat to the world than to themselves, in nine countries. However, while groups that may be considered more vulnerable to climate change often display higher levels of perceived overall risk, the survey finds evidence of spatial bias to be systematic across and within cases. Future research should apply this measurement strategy in more vulnerable countries and over time.

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