Climate change adaptation and policy capacity in the Canadian finance sector: a meso analysis

This article examines policy capacity in relation to climate change adaptation in the Canadian finance sector. Through a meso-level analysis focused on the level of integration of the finance policy network and a survey of policy professionals in the area regarding climate change issues, the article illustrates both challenges to operationalizing the concept of 'policy capacity' and limitations to effective policy capacity on climate change in this policy domain. Though a central concern for governments, improvements in policy capacity require more attention to network integration and governance arrangements if governments are to effectively respond to the unique challenges posed by climate change adaptation. KEY WORDS: finance, policy capacity, climate change, Canada, adaptation, policy 20 years ago, the federal government acknowledged that the impacts of climate change would pose significant, long-term challenges throughout Canada....And today, the federal government still lacks an overarching federal strategy that identifies clear, concrete actions supported by coordination among federal departments. Scott Vaughn, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (2010)
Introduction Following closely on the heels of the Canadian government's well-publicized decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, the government more quietly announced in the 2012 budget that the National [...]