Shock and Conflict in Social-Ecological Systems: Implications for Environmental Governance

In this paper, we present a framework for the analysis of shock and conflict in social-ecological systems and investigate the implications of this perspective for the understanding of environmental governance, particularly its evolutionary patterns and drivers. We dwell on the distinction between shock and conflict. In mapping the relation between shock and conflict, we invoke a different potentiality for altering rigidity and flexibility in governance; different possibilities for recall, revival and trauma; and different pathways for restructuring the relation between governance, community and environment. Shock and conflict can be both productive and eroding, and for each, one can observe that productivity can be positive or negative. These different effects in governance can be analyzed in terms of object and subject creation, path creation and in terms of the dependencies recognized by evolutionary governance theory: path, inter-, goal and material dependencies. Thus, shock and conflict are mapped in their potential consequences to not only shift a path of governance, but also to transform the pattern of self-transformation in such path. Finally, we reflect on what this means for the interpretation of adaptive governance of social-ecological systems.

Gobernanza de ciudades intermedias: aprendiendo de acciones post-desastre en la zona Metropolitana de Acapulco, México

This article analyses the governance patterns of post-disaster public action carried out after Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel hit Coyuca de Benítez in 2013, a municipality that is part of the Metropolitan Area of Acapulco, Mexico, seeking to contribute towards broadening knowledge about the modes of governance of intermediate cities, and in particular, those related to disaster risk reduction. Conceptually, the concept of adaptive governance is presented to contrast and reflect on prevailing governance patterns in Coyuca. Methodologically speaking, this work is based on the sociology of public action, to analyse the reconstruction processes of infrastructure, public services, and housing, through interviews, focus groups, and diverse written sources. This paper argues that, despite the decentralization and democratization efforts of recent decades, governance patterns are highly centralized and not very adaptive, limiting the development of participatory and articulated interventions that meet people's daily needs and improve their quality of life. In this context, public action, rather than reducing disaster risks, has increased and/or generated new risks in already precarious and vulnerable urban territories. Along the same vein, this paper questions the relevance of regulatory and conceptual frameworks, such as adaptive governance, to guide significant changes, given the distance between ideal and existing governance patterns in the territories.

Adaptive Governance Features from Stakeholder Issues in Lake Limboto Management

This study aims to examine adaptive governance aspects of the issues from each stakeholder related to the management of Limboto Lake. The implementation of this research uses a qualitative deductive approach. The types of research that will be used are descriptive and explanative types. Sources of data from this research, namely documents and archival records grouped into documentation sources, interviews sourced from people/informants, and direct observation, observation of the role of physical devices grouped in observation sources, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The results of this study indicate that efforts to revitalize, rehabilitate and conserve are, of course, not the task of the Government alone but require the participation of the community in them. Conditions of good synergy between the Government, the community and the private sector in efforts to save and manage Lake Limboto are desirable, this is also in line with the achievement of the objectives of adaptive governance in terms of resilience to rapid and unpredictable environmental changes.

Can Adaptive Governance Promote Coupling Social-Ecological Systems? Evidence from the Vulnerable Ecological Region of Northwestern China

Adaptive governance is increasingly considered a feasible approach to address the uncertainties and complexities of social-ecological system (SES), whereas its role on SES coupling has not been sufficiently testified. Empirical evidence is provided in this paper with the case of northwestern China, a region struggling with economic backwardness and ecological vulnerability. Given the ambiguities in scholarship on the causal relationship between adaptive governance and SES coupling, we develop a theoretical framework to outline the driving mechanism of adaptive governance by focusing on its impact on ecosystem service (ES) delivery. Within the framework, ecosystem governance and social system governance are identified as pathways of adaptive governance, which are estimated on their effects on SES coupling by FGLS. The results show that (1) only the synergy of them can positively promote SES coupling rather than isolated one of them, and (2) only social system governance presents a lustrous role in restraining the effect of resource-dependence on SES coupling as opposed to ecosystem governance. The practice of northwestern China again evidences its key leader’s role in seizing the opportunity window and social innovation. The results further uncover the necessity of synthesizing the social and ecological dimensions for shaping adaptive governance and the direction of targeted reforms for catalyzing the transition to adaptive governance.

Of Constitutions, Campaigns and Commissions: A Century of Democratic Centralism under the CCP

Democratic centralism, a hallmark of Leninist party organizations, has played a formative role in the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Yet despite being hailed as an “inviolable” and “unchanging” Party principle, understandings of democratic centralism have shifted dramatically over the century of its existence. This study traces the long arc of the concept's evolution across successive Party Constitutions, focusing on three critical historical junctures: the Sixth Party Congress, which formally adopted democratic centralism into its Constitution as an organizational principle; the Seventh Party Congress, which adopted rectification as the Party's practice of democratic centralism; and the 19th Party Congress, which set a new milestone in codifying the system as a disciplinary tool. I argue that while democratic centralism exemplifies the CCP's institutional plasticity and adaptive governance and is critical to understanding Party-driven constitutionalism in contemporary China, it also highlights an irresolvable paradox inherent in Party rule. Adaptability does not necessarily impart resilience. I conclude that the CCP's normatively unconstrained extra-constitutional leadership under Xi Jinping highlights the essentially and increasingly irrationalist aspects of its illiberal governance project.

Governing complexity: Integrating science, governance, and law to manage accelerating change in the globalized commons

The speed and uncertainty of environmental change in the Anthropocene challenge the capacity of coevolving social–ecological–technological systems (SETs) to adapt or transform to these changes. Formal government and legal structures further constrain the adaptive capacity of our SETs. However, new, self-organized forms of adaptive governance are emerging at multiple scales in natural resource-based SETs. Adaptive governance involves the private and public sectors as well as formal and informal institutions, self-organized to fill governance gaps in the traditional roles of states. While new governance forms are emerging, they are not yet doing so rapidly enough to match the pace of environmental change. Furthermore, they do not yet possess the legitimacy or capacity needed to address disparities between the winners and losers from change. These emergent forms of adaptive governance appear to be particularly effective in managing complexity. We explore governance and SETs as coevolving complex systems, focusing on legal systems to understand the potential pathways and obstacles to equitable adaptation. We explore how governments may facilitate the emergence of adaptive governance and promote legitimacy in both the process of governance despite the involvement of nonstate actors, and its adherence to democratic values of equity and justice. To manage the contextual nature of the results of change in complex systems, we propose the establishment of long-term study initiatives for the coproduction of knowledge, to accelerate learning and synergize interactions between science and governance and to foster public science and epistemic communities dedicated to navigating transitions to more just, sustainable, and resilient futures.

Policy Response and Collaboration in Handling Covid-19 East Kutai Regency With An Adaptive Governance Approach in Disasters

The current COVID-19 pandemic condition requires the Indonesian government to act quickly and effectively in dealing with the threat of a crisis; for this reason, the concept of adaptive governance promises a more innovative approach in an effective way to deal with a complex environment. Adaptation in governance is carried out by producing policy products that are swift, efficient, and effective in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to find out how the local government of East Kutai Regency applies the concept of adaptive governance with the scope of policies and collaboration between parties in handling the COVID-19 Pandemic. The benefits of research will fill the space for scientific studies related to adaptive governance approaches in handling pandemics through policy products and collaboration between parties within the most basic scope, namely the East Kutai Regency level. This research is qualitative research with the descriptive method; the approach used in this research is a case study approach. For research data analysis, this study used Qualitative Data Software Analysis (QDSA) NVivo 12 Plus. The study results show that the five agencies have carried out their roles to provide adaptive governance. Of the six indicators, each agency has a different percentage level. There are tons of steps that have been taken to prevent the spread and handling of COVID-19 by the government and agencies, as well as layers of society. The involvement of Task Force Teams at all levels, the Police, Military District Commands, Community Organizations, NGOs, and Companies in assisting the prevention and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic running the East Kutai District Health Office shows a form of participation and collaboration in handling the COVID-19 pandemic health disaster. Which is an essential value in realizing adaptive governance.