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Analyzing the Role of Polycentric Governance in Institutional Innovations: Insights from Urban Climate Governance in India

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  • Anita Yadav

    (Department of Sustainable Engineering, TERI School of Advanced Studies, Plot No. 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070, India
    Division of Energy Systems, Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Naqui Anwer

    (Department of Sustainable Engineering, TERI School of Advanced Studies, Plot No. 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070, India)

  • Krushna Mahapatra

    (Department of Built Environment and Energy Technology, Linnaeus University, 351 95 Växjö, Sweden)

  • Manish Kumar Shrivastava

    (Earth Science and Climate Change Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003, India)

  • Dilip Khatiwada

    (Division of Energy Systems, Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

In the face of climate change, urban governance systems must adapt to uncertainties and emerging pressures. Polycentric governance, characterized by multiple decision-making centers at different scales, enables coordination across levels and provides flexibility, which allows for experimentation and context-specific action, catalyzing institutional innovations in cities. These innovations involve creating new structures and modifying existing ones to help cities better withstand and adapt to the impacts of climate change. There are plenty of studies on this issue in developed country context, but such studies in the context of developing countries are lacking, especially in India. This article aims to explore the influence of polycentric governance on institutional innovations, thereby offering insights on how it contributes to transformative urban governance in India, characterized by (1) stewarding capacity, (2) unlocking capacity, (3) transformative capacity, and (4) orchestrating capacity. The research findings suggest that polycentric governance increases diversity and autonomy in decision-making centers across levels, which can enable more innovation or flexibility, leading to improving governance capacity to respond to changing circumstances, but these developments are still in nascent stage and further research is needed to assess the long-term sustainability of these capacities. The findings not only contribute to governance research and provide insights for policymaking, but also contribute to the broader discourse on urban resilience and sustainable development aligning with SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) globally, especially in the Global South.

Suggested Citation

  • Anita Yadav & Naqui Anwer & Krushna Mahapatra & Manish Kumar Shrivastava & Dilip Khatiwada, 2024. "Analyzing the Role of Polycentric Governance in Institutional Innovations: Insights from Urban Climate Governance in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10736-:d:1538561
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hameeda A. AlMalki & Christopher M. Durugbo, 2023. "Systematic review of institutional innovation literature: towards a multi-level management model," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 731-785, June.
    2. Rijia Ding & Chongbao Ren & Suli Hao & Qi Lan & Mingbo Tan, 2022. "Polycentric Collaborative Governance, Sustainable Development and the Ecological Resilience of Elevator Safety: Evidence from a Structural Equation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-37, June.
    3. Jordan K. Lofthouse & Roberta Q. Herzberg, 2023. "The Continuing Case for a Polycentric Approach for Coping with Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    4. James Evans & Andrew Karvonen, 2014. "‘Give Me a Laboratory and I Will Lower Your Carbon Footprint!’ — Urban Laboratories and the Governance of Low-Carbon Futures," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 413-430, March.
    5. Elinor Ostrom, 2014. "Do institutions for collective action evolve?," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 3-30, April.
    6. Claire E. Brolan, 2023. "Looking Back—Australia’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy Agendas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, March.
    7. Daniel H. Cole, 2015. "Advantages of a polycentric approach to climate change policy," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(2), pages 114-118, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lipeng Duan & Zhihui Gu & Yan Zhang & Yongxu Chen, 2025. "From Clustered to Networked: Multi-Dimensional and Multi-Scale Performance Evaluation of Polycentric Urban Structure Evolution in Shenzhen, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-26, September.

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