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Learning our way out of environmental policy problems: a review of the scholarship

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea K. Gerlak

    (University of Arizona)

  • Tanya Heikkila

    (University of Colorado, Denver)

  • Sharon L. Smolinski

    (University of Colorado, Denver)

  • Dave Huitema

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
    Netherlands Open University)

  • Derek Armitage

    (University of Waterloo)

Abstract

In acknowledgement of the complexity of environmental challenges, research on learning in environmental policy has grown substantially over the past two decades across a range of disciplines. Despite this growth, there are few comprehensive assessments of the literature on learning in environmental policy. This article fills this gap by providing insights on the overall coherence and impact of this body of scholarship. To do so, we analyze a sample of 163 articles from 2004 to 2014 using a standardized coding framework. The results provide an in-depth assessment of the status of the literature on learning in the context of environmental policy, as well as the quality of the literature. We demonstrate that despite the diversity in research questions and goals, the literature is lacking with respect to diversity in cases and context, theoretical development, clear conceptualization and operationalization of learning, and advancements in empirical approaches to study learning. From these insights, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for scholars in studying learning and provide recommendations for building the theoretical and methodological rigor of the field.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea K. Gerlak & Tanya Heikkila & Sharon L. Smolinski & Dave Huitema & Derek Armitage, 2018. "Learning our way out of environmental policy problems: a review of the scholarship," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 51(3), pages 335-371, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:51:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s11077-017-9278-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-017-9278-0
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    3. Kristof van Assche & Raoul Beunen & Stefan Verweij, 2020. "Comparative Planning Research, Learning, and Governance: The Benefits and Limitations of Learning Policy by Comparison," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(1), pages 11-21.
    4. Nicola Stocco & Francesco Gardona & Fulvio Biddau & Paolo Francesco Cottone, 2021. "Learning Processes and Agency in the Decarbonization Context: A Systematic Review through a Cultural Psychology Point of View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-31, September.
    5. Erin Hardie Hale & Christopher C. Jadallah & Heidi L. Ballard, 2022. "Collaborative research as boundary work: learning between rice growers and conservation professionals to support habitat conservation on private lands," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 715-731, June.
    6. Thomas Bolognesi & Florence Metz & Stéphane Nahrath, 2021. "Institutional complexity traps in policy integration processes: a long-term perspective on Swiss flood risk management," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 54(4), pages 911-941, December.
    7. Christopher M. Weible & Paul Cairney & Jill Yordy, 2022. "A diamond in the rough: digging up and polishing Harold D. Lasswell’s decision functions," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(1), pages 209-222, March.
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