Managing policy-making in the local climate governance landscape: The role of network administrative organizations and member cities

Abstract

Trans-municipal networks (TMNs) have reshaped the landscape around local government action on global climate policy. Past research has focused on why cities join TMNs and the impact that membership has on local action. This study considers a potential reverse effect: namely, that cities' membership choices position them to influence TMNs' overall priorities. In considering this, we emphasize the role of network administrative organizations (NAOs) and posit that the multiple climate-related networks, which share members and operate in overlapping geographic and issue spaces, are bound together as part of a meta-network. We utilize social network analysis and data on membership in four climate-related TMNs to examine the factors that shape how cities can influence meta-network priorities. We find that cities with local vulnerabilities tend to be located in network positions that enable them to influence the meta-network's overall priorities.