Multi-level governance, climate change adaptation, and agri-environmental stewardship in small states: Micro-level behaviour of actors and macro-level policy results

This body of work contributes towards the understanding and explanation of how macro-level climate change adaptation and agri-environmental stewardship policy results emerge in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from the micro-level behaviour of actors within the context of Multi-level Governance (MLG). There is a huge gap in the literature within SIDS with reference to MLG and its relationship with climate change adaptation and agri-environmental stewardship policy development and implementation. To contribute to addressing this gap a mixed methods approach is applied, utilizing both a multi-case and single case study. This approach draws from cases in African, Caribbean and Pacific SIDS with particular emphasis on Barbados for more in-depth case analysis and modelling. Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT), Choice Experiments and the MLG Framework are the main tools being utilized to determine and simulate the drivers of behavioral change. This is achieved through: the identification of how MLG presents itself, its impact on the policy formulation and implementation process; the utilization of CIT to explain how the adequacy of implementation of climate change adaptation and environmental stewardship policy can be improved; the determination of the specific agri-environmental stewardship policy attributes and associated willingness-to-accept
(WTA) that drive farm environmental stewardship and climate change adaptation behaviour; and the degree to which farmers’ WTA driven by the AES policy can be supported
by Taxpayers’ WTP and how does this relate to MLG. The qualitative and quantitative results from the different components of this study are used to determine the impact of MLG on climate change adaptation and agri-environmental stewardship policy within SIDS. The findings emphasize the contextual nature of policy within a MLG framework and makes it clear that each SIDS that intents to develop and implement adaptation and environmental stewardship policy within the agricultural sector should undertake an appropriate behavioral analysis. Such an analysis will ensure that: the policy attributes included within the policy developed maximize motivation and voluntary participation from key actors, cognition gaps are addressed, accountability mechanisms are in place and the appropriate resources are available to support climate change adaptation and behavioural changes towards environmental stewardship within the specific geographic space.