RADAR Research Archive and Digital Asset Repository Determinants for the adoption of climate change policies for urban Africa: A study of urban local governments in Ghana Afua Ofouwaah Adu-Boateng (2014) https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/c73262b6-4622-4c21-8c70-5e98072d5020/1/ Note if anything has been removed from thesis: Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, the full bibliographic details must be given as follows: Adu-Boateng, A O (2014) Determinants for the adoption of climate change policies for urban Africa: A study of urban local governments in Ghana, PhD, Oxford Brookes University WWW.BROOKES.AC.UK/GO/RADAR Determinants for the adoption of climate change policies for urban Africa: A study of urban local governments in Ghana Afua Ofouwaah Adu-Boateng Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Oxford Brookes University Department of Planning March, 2014 Abstract Scholars have reiterated that development discourse is concerned not just with the practices of development, but crucially with the politics and power of knowledge and ideas that shape development: their origins, content, contestation, diffusion and dissemination (Moore, 1995; Roy, 2010; Escobar, 2012). One issue facing all countries is climate change. Though contested, climate change has emerged as an urgent issue around which both ideas of development and practice are crystallising both in the north and south. However in this discourse, the diffusion and adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation policy ideas to urban governments in Africa have received limited research attention. International reports indicate a low uptake of climate change policies in Africa generally, and urban areas in particular. The concern with climate change seems not to dwell much on seeking better understanding of the factors that determine the spread and adoption of climate change policy as well as the barriers to adoption in different world contexts. With particular reference to Ghana, this study examines the ideas and material conditions associated with policy diffusion to examine what drives diffusion and adoption of climate change policies in Africa’s urban areas. The study investigates climate change ideas: how climate change ideas move from ‘international spaces’ to national and, most crucially, urban local i government policy spaces. Drawing on social science, institutional and organisational concepts of change, it seeks to answer questions of how and to what extent climate change ideas are received and converted into policy and programmes at local government level. The conceptual framework suggests that international pressure, norm imitation, policy utility and emulation are potential concepts to explain adoption of climate change policies by metropolitan governments. To investigate which of these concepts adequately explain the situation in Ghana, data was collected using qualitative methods, semi-structured interviews with key policy makers in local government and urban development planning in Ghana. This is complemented by content analysis of grey literature, urban development plans, and policy documents, and a focus on 3 metropolitan urban areas of Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. Results suggest that the government of Ghana has instituted directives for climate change considerations in metropolitan development plans. The national urban policy has a climate change component. An investigation of metropolitan development plans indicated that climate change related projects were initiated in response to national directives. This emphasised exogenous pressure as a determinant of adoption by metropolitan governments in the context of Ghana. On the other hand, political and public interests shape the extent to which the directives on climate change are integrated in development plans. Moreover material constraints and agents’ limited conceptualisation of climate change policy place barriers to adoption. The research concludes that national guidelines and directives, ii underpin the response by Ghana’s metropolitan governments, whilst actors and resources shape the mechanisms for the adoption and barriers to comprehensive climate change policies. iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my husband Kwaku Adu-Boateng and my daughters, Abena Owusua Adu-Boateng and Abena Kusiwaa Adu-Boateng. iv Acknowledgement I would like to acknowledge the immense support I received from my supervisory team, research participants, friends and family. My deep gratitude goes to Dr Beacon Mbiba and Mrs Elizabeth Wilson, my supervisory team, for their patient guidance and constructive critique of this research. Their valuable support has been greatly appreciated. I would also like to appreciate staff and fellow research colleagues in the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment for the input and feedback on my research. I would also like to thank all organisations and individuals who participated in this research and assisted with the collection of data, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency and the development planning units of Accra, Kumasi and Tamale Metropolitan Assemblies. I am particularly grateful for the support and encouragement provided by friends and family, too numerous to mention here. To my husband, Kwaku Adu-Boateng, and daughters, Abena Owusua and Abena Kusiwaa, I truly appreciate the patience, understanding and immense support you all gave during this period of research. v Finally, I am immensely grateful to God for strength, good health and the opportunity to have such great support throughout the research period. vi Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... i Dedication ............................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... xii List of Maps .......................................................................................................................... xiii Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... xiv 1 Urban Governments Responding To Climate Change: An Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the research ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Climate change policies: The hegemony gap.................................................................. 2 1.3 Cities on the margin: resistance or conformity to climate change policy ideas? .......................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Explaining responses to climate change policies .......................................................... 15 1.5 Research aim, objectives and structure of thesis: adopting climate change policies .................................................................................................................... 19 2 Climate Change Policies: Rationale of an Emerging Development Paradigm ................................................................................................................................. 25 2.1 Climate change: a crisis of material conditions and ideals ........................................... 26 2.1.1 Environmental and development crisis .............................................................. 28 2.1.2 Institutions shape climate risks and adoption of policy ideas ............................ 32 2.1.3 Climate injustice: human rights dimensions ...................................................... 36 2.1.4 A crisis compelling city government’s policy response .................................... 39 2.2 The way out of the climate change crisis: mitigation and adaptation policy ideas .......................................................................................................................... 42 2.2.1 Mitigation: Adopting green growth policies ...................................................... 43 2.2.2 Planned adaptation: building climate resilience and climate risk management ............................................................................................................. 45 2.2.3 Complexities of public policy making in the face of global climate change ...............................................................................................................