The Rabbit and the Tortoise. Climate Change Policy Development on the Local Level in Norway and Poland

• Main Authors: Jan Erling KLAUSEN, Katarzyna SZMIGIEL-RAWSKA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Babes Bolyai University 2017-10-01
• Series: Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences
• Subjects: climate change, multilevel governance, local government, comparative policy analysis, policy innovation, poland, norway
• Online Access: https://rtsa.ro/tras/index.php/tras/article/view/533

<p>Policy innovation in unitary states relies heavily on the proclivity of local governments to identify and respond to emerging policy chal­lenges. The article contributes by applying a framework for policy innovation normally used in federal systems to a comparative analysis of two unitary states – Poland and Norway. The analy­sis serves to highlight how the effectiveness of horizontal, non-coercive diffusion mechanisms relies on established norms and traditions for local political self-rule. A key finding is that the prospects of success for ‘soft’ central govern­ment steering seem to rely not least on the re­sourcefulness of the local units. The study fur­thermore highlights the importance of historical trajectories for internal as well as external deter­minants for policy innovation.</p>