From technocracy to democracy: How engagement with power asymmetries and values can be promoted in the processes of improving climate resilience and adaptation
Abstract as pdf
Corresponding Author:
David Olsson
Karlstad University Sweden
david.olsson@kau.se
Author(s):
In both research and policy, there is an emphasis to promote resilience and adaptation to the socio-environmental challenges of climate change. Considering the unequal impacts of climate change, this study stresses that engagement with power asymmetries and values should permeate policy and planning processes that pertain to climate resilience and adaptation. However, research has shown that such engagement often is hampered by technocratic and market-based policy frames, which tend to focus on instrumental knowledge and thereby reduce resilience and adaptation to managerial and technical issues. Consequently, issues that pertain to power asymmetries and democratic value-pluralism, such as those related to (in)justice, are largely neglected. The purpose of this study is to examine ways to promote engagement with power asymmetries and values that concerns (in)justice in the policy and planning processes of climate resilience and adaptation. The study presents four major approaches to this end, along with concrete examples of how they have been put to practice.
Towards what futures? The political dimensions of sustainable development and resilience