California's Climate Change Policy: The Case of a Sub-National State Actor Tackling a Global Challenge

Multi-level climate governance and the role of the subnational level

“…Subnational initiatives no longer follow linear vertical multi-scalar linkages. Studies have highlighted instances of horizontal diffusion; heterogeneous state policies that have converged over time (Lutsey & Sperling 2008, p. 675), and transnational interstate linkages that were created for example during emission trading in the US (Mazmanian et al 2008). Various channels and forms of coordination have contributed to the production of multipronged action at the subnational level including the formation of regional greenhouse gas emission agreements with the scope of influencing policy across scales.…”

Multi-level climate governance in India: the role of the states in climate action planning and renewable energies

“…Subnational states can block and slow down domestic climate policy, but they can also act as innovators. The role of the states in domestic climate policy has been extensively and systematically analysed in the USA (Rabe 2004(Rabe , 2008(Rabe , 2011Mazmanian et al 2008;Engel 2009;Nelson et al 2014), where it can draw on the notion of laboratories for experimentation (Jörgensen 2012a). In regard to multi-level climate governance research it is interesting to note that subnational laboratories have the chance to independently develop new problem-solutions in different policy domains.…”

Why the United States did not become a party to the Kyoto Protocol: German, Norwegian, and US perspectives

“…The second strand analyzes the federal level, focusing on interest groups' impact on the policymaking process, and the consequences for climate policy of the separation of powers between the US executive, legislative, and judicial branches (see Bang, 2010;Bryner, 2008;Fisher, 2004;Jacques et al, 2008;Skjaerseth and Skodvin, 2003;Victor, 2004;Wiener, 2004). The third examines climate policy at state and local levels, including developments in individual states and cities, and differences between policy initiatives in different states and regions (see Betsill and Bulkeley, 2004;Mazmanian et al, 2008;Rabe, 2008;Selin and VanDeveer, 2007;Urpelainen, 2009). In addition to these three main strands, a few scholars have recently begun to study how policymaking levels interact.…”