Project properties
Title Science-policy interactions in shaping Dutch national climate change adaptation policy
Group Public Administration and Policy
Project type thesis
Credits 33-39
Supervisor(s) Dr. Robbert Biesbroek
Examiner(s) Dr. Robbert Biesbroek (PAP), Prof. Dr. Katrien Termeer
Contact info robbert.biesbroek@wur.nl
Begin date 2014/04/01
End date
Description Climate change adaptation in the Netherlands is, like many other western countries, characterised by a strong interplay between science and policy. Since 1989, the Dutch National government financed a number of climate change research project and programmes, including the national research programmes “Mondiale Luchtverontreiniging en Klimaaterandering” 1 en 2, “Climate Changes Spatial Planning”, “Living with Water”, “Knowledge for Climate”, and the hybrid “Delta programme”. These programmes aimed to better understand the functioning of the climate system, the risks and impacts of anthropogenic climate change, the strategies to deal with climate change and aimed to support adaptation at the subsidiary level. Arguably, scientific progress has had a discernable influence on Dutch climate change adaptation policies, for example in the Dutch Senate (2005) and the resulting inter-ministerial Adaptatie Ruimte en Klimaat programme (2006-2010), by establishing the Delta Committee (2007-2008), adopting a “Delta Act” (2012), and taking Delta Decisions (forthcoming).

The proposed research project aims to better understand the relation between science and policy in shaping climate change adaptation policies in the Netherlands. Depending on the skills and interests of the student, the proposed research project can take different angles, for example:
1) to explain the influence of science-policy interactions in shaping Dutch climate change adaptation policies.
2) to determine the effectiveness of the science-policy interface in shaping Dutch climate change adaptation policies.
3) to compare Dutch science-policy interface with that of other (European) countries and explain the similarities and differences.
Used skills Qualitative research, Desk research, Document analysis and interviews
Requirements