COMMUNITY-BASED CLIMATE RESILIENCE POLICY IN MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INDIAN STATES OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND HIMACHAL PRADESH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2218-1067-2025-4-74-91Keywords:
climate resilience, local communities, principal-agent framework, multi-level governance, IndiaAbstract
This article presents the findings of a study examining the logic behind the development and implementation of climate resilience policies in two Indian states with different degrees of regional autonomy and status within the Indian federal architecture: Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Using a principal-agent framework, we examine the impact of these differences in status on the two states' approaches to climate change adaptation policies. The empirical analysis is based on 50 interviews with representatives of local communities, businesses, farmers, nomads, and government agencies. Supplementing the interview data with an analysis of open sources on government support measures for local communities in changing climate conditions, we draw parallels between the two states and their approaches to regulation, implementation of ordinary and crisis policies, and building relationships between government and citizens. We conclude that the regional autonomy of Himachal Pradesh facilitates a more coherent and sustainable governance model compared to the vertical, centralized model of Jammu and Kashmir. The degree of decentralization and support for local initiatives proves to be a crucial factor determining the logic of potentially more successful climate policy in the mountainous regions of India.References
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