DEMOCLIM
The project explores new democratic governance methods in the design and implementation of effective and socially just climate policies that emerge in the face of climate protests.
Main content
DEMOCLIM investigates novel democratic governance approaches to the design and implementation of efficient and socially just climate policies in response to climate protests in four Scandinavian cities (Oslo & Bergen and Stockholm & Gothenburg). Although climate change is widely seen as "the defining issue of our time" (UN 2018), the past couple of years has seen a growing political backlash against core dimensions of more ambitious climate policies in Scandinavian cities and elsewhere in Europe.
On the one hand, protests have called into question the distributive and justice effects of climate mitigation measures? such as higher toll ring prices and compact city development. On the other hand, there have been school strikes for climate inspired by Greta Thunberg and the emergence of new radical climate movements, such as the Extinction Rebellion, that use or threaten to use civil disobedience to further demand more proactive climate policies. Thus, city governments must tackle two seemingly contradictory demands for justice.
DEMOCLIM combines theoretical approaches and several strains of literature in novel ways: research on climate change policies, contentious politics, cleavages, interactive governance and co-creation.
Outcomes
The project contributes new knowledge on
- the interface between climate/social protest movements and urban policymakers and governance;
- The conditions for enhancing the quality of democratic governance and approaches to climate policy implementation that are socially just and efficient at the city level;
- comparison of collaborative governance approaches of cities in the global forefront of climate policy implementation;
- the content and influence of experimental governance as a tool for socially just and inclusive climate transformation. The project contributes to joint learning and collaboration between research and key stakeholders by using interactive research methods.
Democlim will contribute to changes in competency, conduct, practice and policy by providing:
- a more comprehensive and thicker understanding of the interface between social movements and urban climate governance;
- a broader and integrated climate justice concept at the city level;
- new knowledge about how social media is used by social movements and how it conditions local democratic governance. Active dissemination of results to the research community and joint learning and engagement with local public and civic policymakers will support these outcomes.
Work packages
WP1: Political &administrative system –Understanding path dependencies and starting conditions
WP2: Social protest movements –Understanding the drivers and content of climate engagement
WP3: Policy design and climate leadership
WP4: Interaction and co-creation
WP5: Climate transformation
