The Embeddedness of Urban Climate Politics in Multilevel Governance: A Case Study of South Africa’s Major Cities

• Published date: 01 March 2019
• Date: 01 March 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/1070496518819121
• Author: Thomas Hickmann,Fee Stehle
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Embeddedness of

Urban Climate Politics in

Multilevel Governance:

A Case Study of South

Africa’s Major Cities

Thomas Hickmann

1

and Fee Stehle

1

Abstract

Numerous scholars have lately highlighted the importance of cities in the global

response to climate change. However, we still have little systematic knowledge on

the evolution of urban climate politics in the Global South. In particular, we lack empir-

ical studies that examine how local climate actions arise in political-administrative sys-

tems of developing and emerging economies. Therefore, this article adopts a multilevel

governance perspective to explore the climate mitigation responses of three major

cities in South Africa by looking at their vertical and horizontal integration in the

wider governance framework. In the absence of a coherent national climate policy,

Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban have developed distinct climate actions within

their jurisdictions. In their effort to address climate change, transnational city networks

have provided considerable technical support to these cities. Yet, substantial domestic

political-economic obstacles hinder the three cities to develop a more ambitious stance

on climate change.

Keywords

climate change, developing and emerging economies, local climate policy making,

multilevel governance, South Africa, transnational city networks

Journal of Environment &

Development

2019, Vol. 28(1) 54–77

!The Author(s) 2018

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/1070496518819121

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1

Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany

Corresponding Author:

Thomas Hickmann, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Potsdam, August-Bebel-Str.

89, D-14482 Potsdam, Germany.

Email: hickmann@uni-potsdam.de

Over the past two decades, authors have provided various insights into the role

of cities in climate policy making. Their studies have assessed the opportunities

and limits of local governments to contribute to climate change mitigation

(Casta

´n Broto & Bulkeley, 2013; Dodman, 2009). They stressed the great sig-

nif‌icance of institutional capacities for adapting to the adverse ef‌fects of climate

change at the local level (Agrawal, 2010). They examined the interplay between

urban climate policy making with higher governmental levels (Gordon &

Johnson, 2017; Schreurs, 2008). They underlined the crucial role of local

policy entrepreneurs in public-administrative settings (Bahadur & Tanner,

2014). And they pointed to the emergence of transnational city networks

that create best practices for dealing with climate change in urban areas

(Acuto, 2013).

Despite this burgeoning literature, we still have little systematic knowledge on

the evolution of urban climate politics in the Global South. In particular, we

lack empirical studies that examine how local climate actions arise in political-

administrative systems of developing and emerging economies. Moreover, most

existing studies on local climate policy making have focused on lighthouse activ-

ities of some city pioneers, such as Copenhagen, Portland, Sydney, Yokohama,

and others (Fuhr, Hickmann, & Kern, 2018). The actual embeddedness of urban

climate politics in national, as well as transnational, policy processes has only

recently attracted growing scholarly attention (e.g., Hickmann, Fuhr, Ho

¨hne,

Lederer, & Stehle, 2017; Stehle, Ho

¨hne, Hickmann, & Lederer, 2019).

Against this backdrop, this article addresses this research gap and seeks to

shed light on the contextual conditions of the climate change mitigation

responses taken by three major cities in South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape

Town, and Durban. To identify factors that shape the climate actions of these

cities, we adopt a multilevel governance perspective. Through this analytical

lens, we explore the vertical and horizontal integration of their administrative

structures and political programs in the overall multilevel climate governance

system. Thus, the main contribution of this article is a thorough empirical inves-

tigation of the question how urban climate politics in South Africa is embedded

in the wider governance framework across dif‌ferent levels and scales.

The analysis shows that South Africa’s local governments essentially act in a

climate policy vacuum. Urban climate politics in South Africa suf‌fers from con-

stitutional ambiguity, lacks a comprehensive national policy framework with

adequate f‌iscal arrangements and support programs, and encounters a number

of political-economic barriers, f‌irst and foremost in the energy sector.

Nevertheless, South Africa’s three major cities, Johannesburg, Cape Town,

and Durban, have all adopted a variety of climate change mitigation measures.

In fact, they have made some remarkable achievements in climate policy making

by establishing organizational structures and implementing sector-specif‌ic

actions. With regard to the impact of transnational city networks, it is apparent

that they have considerably supported the climate actions of the three cities.

Hickmann and Stehle 55