Scientific Advice and Administrative Traditions: The Role of Chief Scientists in Climate Change Adaptation

Abstract

The role of the chief scientist (CS), a key administrative position in various Israeli ministries, is to fund policy-oriented research and support evidence-based decision-making. Has the CS's role promoted or constrained incorporation of scientific advice regarding climate change adaptation into governmental policy? Have administrative traditions affected the adaptation planning process in Israel? Analysis of documents and 26 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders sheds light on the ongoing climate change adaptation policy formulation process. Our study reveals that the CS of the Ministry of Environmental Protection functions as a bridge at different interfaces and can be characterized as a boundary worker between institutions. The inherent independence of this position facilitates the CS's ability to initiate, foster, and prioritize complex issues such as adaptation. Our findings further suggest that the perception that Israel has already adapted, or will easily adapt, has negatively affected the adaptation process.Asesor ıa cient ıfica y tradiciones administrativas: el papel que juegan los cient ıficos principales en la adaptaci on al cambio clim aticoEl papel que juegan los cient ıficos principales, un puesto administrativo clave en varios ministerios israel ıes, est a espec ıficamente designado para el financiamiento de investigaci on orientada hacia la pol ıtica y el apoyo a decisiones basadas en evidencia. >El papel que juegan los cient ıficos principales ha promovido o limitado la incorporaci on de asesor ıa cient ıfica en lo que concierne a la adaptaci on al cambio clim atico dentro de las pol ıticas del gobierno? >Las tradiciones administrativas han afectado el proceso de planeaci on para la adaptaci on en Israel? El an alisis de los documentos en 26 entrevistas exhaustivas con partes afectadas clave ilustra el proceso de formulaci on de las pol ıticas de adaptaci on al bs_bs_banner 859 cambio clim atico actual. Nuestro estudio revela que el Cient ıfico Principal del Ministerio de Protecci on Ambiental funciona como un puente para diferentes interfaces y puede ser caracterizado como un trabajador lim ıtrofe entre las instituciones. La independencia inherente de esta posici on facilita la habilidad del cient ıfico principal para iniciar, fomentar y darle prioridad a complejos problemas como la adaptaci on. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que la percepci on de Israel ya se ha adaptado, o se adaptar a f acilmente, y ha afectado negativamente el proceso de adaptaci on.PALABRAS CLAVE: cambio clim atico, adaptaci on, tradiciones administrativas, cient ıfico principal, interface ciencia-pol ıtica, Israel

Inside the Human Rights Ministry of Burkina Faso: How professionalised civil servants shape governmental human rights focal points

“…In contrast, in the environmental protection field, which also relies on transversal coordination and specialised civil servants, the latter are found to rely also on scientific knowledge. 117 Human rights civil servants find themselves applying common sense as well as personal or paternalistic beliefs. This coincides with Stephanie Paterson and Francesca Scala's 118 findings on gender experts: their discretion is heightened by the fact that gender mainstreaming remains 'a nebulous concept, often lacking substantive guidelines for expected outcomes [ .…”

Public Bureaucracy and Climate Change Adaptation

“…One of the critical dimensions for adaptation is the question of how (scientific) knowledge concerning climate change enters public bureaucracies. Schmidt, Teschner, and Negev () conduct an in‐depth analysis regarding the position of Chief Scientist in Israel, a role that serves as a “boundary spanner” across both horizontal and vertical scales and between the realms of science, policy, and society. The authors find that, even in systems where climate impacts are already felt and where scientific advice has been institutionalized through bureaucracy, there are significant barriers that still need to be addressed in order for progress on adaptation to be achieved.…”

State Bureaucracy and the Management of Climate Change Adaptation in Bangladesh

“…Climate change is one of the key challenges modern societies face, which holds true for both developed and developing countries. A growing number of governments has realized the urgency of climate change (Levin, Cashore, Bernstein, & Auld, ), which has triggered climate action at the local (Araos, Ford, Berrang‐Ford, Biesbroek, & Moser, ; Gore, ), the national (Dubash, Hagemann, Höhne, & Upadhyaya, ; Fleig, Schmidt, & Tosun, ; Lachapelle & Paterson, ; Schmidt, Teschner, & Negev, ), the transnational (Hale & Roger, ), and the global level (Dimitrov, ; Tobin, Schmidt, Tosun, & Burns, ). The simultaneity of actions targeting climate change is acknowledged in the small but expanding literature on polycentric climate governance (see Jordan et al, ).…”