Understanding climate policy integration in the global South through the multiple streams framework

Abstract

Actions needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change have often synergies and trade-offs with other sectoral and sustainable development priorities, and the recent focus on SDGs and sustainable transitions has highlighted the need to consider the integration of climate action into other policy spheres. This process is known as climate policy integration (CPI) or climate mainstreaming.Enhancing its understanding as a public policy making process can provide insights for its operationalization, which becomes relevant considering the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions in a sustainable development context. This paper aims to enhance the understanding of the process through which windows of opportunity for CPI are formed, by drawing on elements from the multiple streams framework (MSF) developed by John Kingdon (2014). Using the MSF, this paper analyses grey literature regarding two cases of climate mainstreaming from initiatives implemented by international cooperation organizations. The results show that relevant elements from the MSF, such as, attachment to other high-profile national issues, timing the integration with routine institutional procedures, and the presence of policy entrepreneurs, have been catalysing factors for CPI in the context of such initiatives. However, we can only assess the value of this analytical framework for CPI by testing it systematically through case studies in a variety of contexts.

Explaining public policy change in a developing country: A case study of Ghana's forest and wildlife policy

“…The MSF posits that policy is more likely to change when a particular policy actor (policy entrepreneur) succeeds in coupling three independent streams within an open policy window. The MSF's three streams include the problem stream, which contains the challenge at hand; the policy stream that consists of the potential solutions; and the political stream that focuses on the political feasibility of support for concrete solutions (Hernandez & Bolwig, 2021; Novotný et al, 2021).…”

Energy Transitions in Yunnan Province Based on Production Function Theory

“…Beyond the broad strategic outlines, the crux of climate policy integration becomes evident in its tangible enactment, particularly at the subnational level [5,6]. This is where broad strategies confront the complexities of regional specificities, economic contexts, and localized socio-ecological conditions [7,8]. The success of all commitments on climate change often hinges on the subnational entities-cities, provinces, and regions-which are crucial in transforming broad climate objectives into tangible and sustainable actions [9,10].…”