Publication: Local Institutions and Climate Change Adaptation
Date
2008-07
ISSN
Published
2008-07
Author(s)
Agrawal, Arun
McSweeney, Catherine
Perrin, Nicolas
Abstract
This note examines the relationships
between climate-related vulnerabilities, adaptation
practices, institutions, and external interventions to show
the role and importance of local institutions in climate
change. It proposes an analytical framework to classify
adaptation practices based on their relationship to
different forms of environmental risks. It examines past
adaptation responses to climate change, their impacts on the
livelihoods of the rural poor, and the role of institutions
in facilitating external support for adaptation. The
discussion uses evidence from two sets of cases - those in
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) coping strategies database, and in the National
Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPAs) - to comparatively
assess the role of local rural institutions in facilitating
adaptation. Focusing on three types of institutions -
public, private, and civic, a review of case studies
indicates that local institutions play a crucial role in
shaping adaptation to climate change: they connect
households to local resources and collective action;
determine flows of external support to different social
groups, and link local populations to national
interventions. The lessons from this review are finally used
to make recommendations about the operational significance
of local institutions and institutional analysis in the
context of climate change.
Citation
“Agrawal, Arun; McSweeney, Catherine; Perrin, Nicolas. 2008. Local Institutions and Climate Change Adaptation. Social Development Notes; No. 113. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/775ff7bc-25ea-5204-8e19-fd635f0b005d License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”