Adaptive governance for social and ecological transitions
Governance of sustainable places goes well beyond promoting environmentally responsible practice to more reflexive practices. These take into account the complex interactions between social, economic and ecological systems.
Governance involves the interactions between government, other public bodies, private sector and those in civil society addressing public policy issues.
It requires governance practices that are anticipatory, oriented towards the long-term, multi-level and are open to learning, more inclusive deliberation, and innovation and adaptation. This means moving away from traditional forms of governance which require certainty and clear goals, and also overcoming problems of policy integration across sectors and spaces.
This programme will explore, both theoretically and through evidence-based practice, adaptive and reflexive governance for the management of sustainable places.
With major problems of policy integration- both across sectors and spaces- to be overcome, once sustainable solutions have been identified, this project will confront these problems by using international data and evidence of best and ‘least worst’ practice.
The programme will also include a focus on the Welsh governance context; and make a distinct contribution to the work of WISERD and the Wales Governance Centre.
Major expertise will be drawn from the Schools of Social Sciences and City and Regional Planning.