Local Government Capacity in Climate Change Policy Implementation: A Literature Review
Keywords:
Local Government Capacity, Climate Change Policy, Policy ImplementationAbstract
Climate change policy implementation increasingly depends on the capacity of local governments to translate national and regional policy commitments into context-specific actions. However, the implementation of climate policies at the local level remains constrained by institutional, financial, technical, political, and organizational challenges. This study aims to examine the dimensions of local government capacity that influence climate change policy implementation and to identify the major barriers, capacity-building strategies, and research gaps reported in the existing literature. This study employs a qualitative literature review approach by systematically synthesizing relevant academic literature concerning local government capacity and climate governance. The findings indicate that local government capacity is multidimensional, encompassing institutional and administrative capacity, human resource and technical capacity, financial capacity, political and leadership capacity, coordination and collaborative capacity, information and knowledge capacity, and monitoring and learning capacity. The review further identifies limited financial resources, inadequate technical expertise, institutional fragmentation, weak intergovernmental coordination, limited access to localized climate information, political uncertainty, and weak monitoring systems as major barriers to effective implementation. The findings also demonstrate that capacity-building interventions are most effective when they integrate institutional strengthening, human resource development, climate-responsive financing, collaborative governance, knowledge management, and adaptive learning. The study concludes that strengthening local government capacity requires a systemic and context-sensitive approach rather than isolated interventions. Future research should develop multidimensional capacity frameworks and examine the relationship between local government capacity and measurable climate policy outcomes, particularly in developing-country contexts.
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