Contrasting Capacities From City to International Levels of Government in Addressing Climate and Energy Issues

Christopher M. Weible, Dallas Elgin, University of Colorado Denver

How does extent of involvement at various levels (from city to international) relate to individual and organizational capacities and to the use of collaborative and analytical techniques of policy analysis? This article pursues this question through an analysis of data from a questionnaire administered in 2011 to actors involved in climate and energy issues in Colorado. The results indicate that involvement in city-level climate and energy activities includes a combination of local government officials and actors from a range of nongovernment and state and federal government organizations. Whereas individual capacity is unrelated to involvement, organizational capacity is associated with involvement at the national and international levels. In addition, involvement at the city, state, and international levels is associated with the use of collaborative techniques (such as facilitation). By contrast, involvement at the national and international levels is associated with the use of analytical techniques (such as modeling and economic analysis). The article complements the existing literature on climate and energy issues by highlighting how the use of different tools and techniques of policy analysis depends on the extent of involvement by different levels of government.