Urban climate change adaptation as social learning: Exploring the process and politics

Abstract

Responses to climate change that build on adaptive natural resource management conceptualise social learning processes as having the potential to form a key component of climate adaptation. Social learning processes represent a way of managing the inherent uncertainties and interconnectedness of adaptation issues through ongoing learning, iterative reflection, and change of responses over time. Although the theoretical case is emerging for social learning as adaptation, there is limited empirical evidence of how these processes play out as local governments engage in urban adaptation planning. This paper starts to address this gap by examining social learning processes in two cities in India. We show how the social learning processes interact with complex governance contexts in the two cities and how evidence of outcomes is emerging across individuals, networks, and systems. We go on to argue that there are several areas of social learning that need further theorisation to support its application in the urban context. First, theories of social learning need to allow for unequal power relationships to continue to shape learning processes and take into account structural and historical dynamics as well as relational forms of power. Second, the way that scale is understood needs to be reopened as a point of analysis to understand how scalar concepts are used by actors to frame and locate problems and solutions rather than being understood as fixed and immutable.

Can science diplomacy address the global climate change challenge?

“…Third, as stated in the introduction climate change is a complex undertaking where peer‐to‐peer learning and policy‐learning are extremely important mechanisms in global climate governance (Janicke, 2017). However, policy‐learning and peer‐to‐peer learning may not produce effective results in the short term because it necessitates a change of understanding in wider social units and communities of practice within a society (Fisher & Dodman, 2019). By taking a more actor‐centric approach to climate change that addresses different motivations and agency (Roelich & Giesekam, 2019), science diplomacy may provide a more structured way of policy‐learning and peer‐to‐peer learning.…”

Beyond Indicators and Success Stories: An Emerging Method to Assess Social Learning in Large-Scale Transdisciplinary Research Programs

“…Research funders, among other stakeholders, are keen to understand whether investments into more learning-centered approaches to program design will result in tangible improvements in terms of outcomes, and if so, in what manner (Dexis Consulting Group, 2020). Researchers and facilitators of SL processes also recognize the persistent challenges related to structuring and facilitating SL across a range of contexts--particularly where power asymmetries are present (Muro and Jeffrey, 2008;Ensor and Harvey, 2015;Fisher and Dodman, 2019). Thus, there is broad consensus that "a more solid and empirically grounded understanding of social learning processes [.…”

“…(2) Challenging settings with many actors and fast-changing contexts yield external factors which are likely to significantly influence processes and outcomes; (3) Multiple, uncertain pathways of change make causal inferences unreliable, as they introduce non-linear changes and confounding variables that are difficult to account for; and (4) Diverse interests and aspirations characterize these partnerships, often with competing rationales and priorities for what should be studied and how. These dimensions feature in recent studies of climate change and SL, with authors highlighting the non-linear nature of the processes (Kristjanson et al, 2014), the unpredictability of outcomes (Sol et al, 2013), and the challenge of establishing causal relations (Fisher et al, 2015;Fisher and Dodman, 2019). This emergent and unpredictable character sits at odds with time-bound programs, for which results must typically be observed and documented within a strict time frame.…”

Disaster risk reduction activities as learning

“…The first 'social learning' group is originated in the field of environmental management (e.g. Pahl-Wostl 2006;Muro and Jeffrey 2008;Cundill and Rodela 2012;Henly-Shepard et al 2015;Benson et al 2016;Fisher and Dodman 2019). Borrowing from them, DRR studies that refer to social learning are increasing, particularly concerning community-based DRR and participatory approaches (e.g.…”