Summary

Climate change is likely to have serious ongoing impacts on all countries in the world. Historically, institutions have evolved incrementally to deal with socio-ecological problems. They provide continuity rather than change. However, the nature of societal problems is changing as a result of processes of globalisation and development. This raises a critical question: Do our institutions allow society to timely and adequately react to changing conditions caused by climate change?

This question is examined in the Climate changes Spatial Planning research project ‘IC12: Institutions for Adaptation’. Three questions identified in this project are:

1. How can the adaptive capacity of Dutch institutions from local through to national level to deal with climate change be assessed? 
2. What are the key implications of undertaking such an assessment?
3. What general and specific recommendations flow from such an assessment, both in terms of institutional design theory and in terms of policy? 

Read more: synthesis report
Contact: project IC12