Appraising science-policy interfaces in local climate change policymaking: Revealing policymakers' insights from Izmir Development Agency, Turkey


Eroglu M., Erbil A.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY, cilt.127, ss.48-56, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 127
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.09.022
  • Dergi Adı: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Aqualine, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, EMBASE, Environment Index, Greenfile, Metadex, PAIS International, Pollution Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.48-56
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Science-policy interface, Co-production, Climate change policy, Knowledge-based policy, Environmental governance, Co-benefit, ENVIRONMENTAL-POLICY, BOUNDARY ORGANIZATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SCIENTISTS, GOVERNANCE, ADAPTATION, COPRODUCTION, POLITICS
  • İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Developing knowledge-based and usable climate change policies requires establishing science-policy interfaces through which knowledge producers and policymakers cooperate. Current research reveals that co-production based interfaces dominated neither by knowledge producers nor policymakers succeed in facilitating the transformation of knowledge into politics. From this point of view, this paper explores how Izmir Development Agency (IZKA), a regional development agency in Turkey, utilizes scientific knowledge and science-policy interfaces in its activities on climate change. Based on the analysis of agency documents and semi-structured interviews with experts from and outside IZKA, the findings indicate that IZKA thrives in integrating scientific knowledge on climate change in its activities drawing from multi-stakeholder and multi-level science-policy interfaces that have significant similarities with the co-production model. In these interfaces, international, national, regional, and local stakeholders share their resources, knowledge, and experience on climate change. Although legal, geographical, and demographic conditions also have an impact, the main reason behind IZKA's success is the agency's climate-focused vision that shapes decisions, strategies, organizational structure, and activities. In parallel to the indicated finding, this paper also discloses that the perspective of not prioritizing climate change and considering the potential benefits as only "co-benefit" does not yield results with the desired efficiency. Another finding is that even though the national government is the main actor on climate in Turkey, development agencies are capable of carrying out transformative activities in their regions, albeit limited.