How public-private sector interactions can promote democratic and effective climate adaptation: Lessons for Sweden

There is growing recognition that adaptation to cross-cutting and complex climate-related risks requires well-functioning public-private sector interactions.

When public and private actors do not coordinate their adaptation actions, this can lead to inadequate policy responses and trade-offs, increasing the risk for maladaptation.

Previous research has largely focused on adaptation carried out by public actors, and there is little knowledge about how interactions between public and private actors governing of adaptation can be improved.

This project breaks new ground by investigating perceptions, patterns, and sources of public-private sector interactions in adaptation governance.

We develop a unified theoretical framework of the degree to which public-private sector interactions are coordinated, democratic, and effective.

We apply the framework by using an ambitious combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in four countries that vary in terms of traditional state-society relationships (Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Sweden) and in three issue areas that are extremely climate-vulnerable (agriculture, land transport, and mining).

This design enables the first comparative study of the full breadth of public-private sector interactions in adaptation, ranging from weakly to highly coordinated interactions.

The knowledge added will be of relevance to research and politics, and assist Sweden in enhancing public-private sector interactions in governing adaptation.