Project Overview
Exploring the Capacity of New York Municipal Governments to Develop and Implement Climate Change Policies
Department(s)
Environmental Studies
Sociology and Anthropology
Abstract
In the absence of comprehensive federal climate policy, state and local governments have created a plethora of climate policy and programs. We are part of a community-based multi-stakeholder group centered around local climate change planning and advocacy In Hamilton. And we hope to learn more about groups like ours in NY, in communities participating in the state Climate Smart Communities Program and Clean Energy Communities Programs. Case studies of rural community contexts are under-represented in the literature, and rural communities may not have the planning and other resources found in the municipal offices of larger, urban communities. In a previous publication, we have shown that higher education institutions, especially those situated in small rural communities, have a vital role in supporting the climate strategies of local actors and can develop productive partnerships through research and co-curricular education. Students on the team will collect data through online research and expand our existing dataset of community characteristics including but not limited to socio-demographic data and readily available government data. Additional data will be collected through qualitative interviews conducted over the phone and in person when possible. Our goal is to better understand the social and political drivers of program participation, implementation challenges therein, and the outcomes of specific milestones in the program participation process.
Student Qualifications
No prior research experience is required. Familiarity with concepts and literature related to climate policy and planning and experience in research methods such as qualitative interviewing, community-based research, our ability to maintain a team dataset is desirable.
Number of Student Researchers
2 students
Project Length
8-10 weeks