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What Space for Place in Wales? Bridging Risk Perceptions and Policy Priorities in the Spatial Governance of Climate Adaptation

This research has a multi-disciplinary focus, drawing mainly from the disciplines of geography, psychology and political science. It aims to examine the diverse interrelationships between risk and climate governance with respect to the psychological distancing of climate adaptation through policy networks in Wales. To do this I will utilise a range of theoretical concepts from across the aforementioned disciplinary fields including the politics of scales and networks, collaborative governance, social capital, integral theory and construal level theory.

My methodological enquiry will use the case study lens of Public Service Boards (PSBs) in Wales, empirically examining the role played by PSBs in climate adaptation policy across multiple scales of governance. The research will address three main research questions:

1) How do perceptions of climate risk and adaptation responses differ according to socio-political factors at different levels of society in Wales?

2) How do public service boards develop adaptations strategies?

3) Are public Service board effective at addressing the anticipated risks of climate change?

As such the research methods include semi-structured interviews with members of Public Service Boards and Welsh Government officials appointed by the Well-being and Future Generations Act (2015), followed by an online survey disseminated across the 22 local authorities in Wales to examine risk perceptions and climate change adaptation efforts. Throughout, I plan to use the Q-methodology in these stages of research using visualisations of climate risks relatable to the context of Wales to explore how differing risks resonate with individuals. Simultaneously, discourse analysis of various policy documents and climate guidance across tiers of governance ranging from the international to the local level will be examined to explore how the severity of climate risks are portrayed, who is impacted and ultimately who is responsible to act.

Funding source: ESRC and Welsh Government Collaborative. Studentship.

Start Date: October 2015.
Completion Date: October 2018.

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