Symposium: The Local Benefits of Sustainability

Can local government sustainability and climate protection programs produce economic efficiencies, generate economic development, and improve human health in communities? Much of the discourse on sustainability has taken place at the national and state levels, but it is local governments that have assumed a leading role in implementation. The rapid adoption and diffusion of city level energy and climate protection policies in the absence of strong state or federal incentives poses a curious puzzle for social science theories of policy adoption and collective action. Why do local officials pursue climate mitigation initiatives when the benefits must be shared? We want to explore the co-benefits of sustainability efforts including: economic development; transportation, land use and energy efficiency; and the protection of the environment and human health. Are these co-benefits realized in practice? To what extent do they allow local officials to overcome the collective action problems of local climate protection? How do co-benefits shape policy design and implementation? The workshop is scheduled will be held at the Devoe Moore Center at Florida State University (FSU) February 23-25, 2012 in Tallahassee, Florida. The workshop will bring together top scholars to present research focused on local climate mitigation.

	Symposium: The Local Benefits of Sustainability

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Home Participants Schedule Papers and Abstracts Guest Login Username: "rfeiock_student" Password: "password" Panels Additional Information	Local Climate Mitigation Policy Can local government sustainability and climate protection programs produce economic efficiencies, generate economic development, and improve human health in communities? Much of the discourse on sustainability has taken place at the national and state levels, but it is local governments that have assumed a leading role in implementation. The rapid adoption and diffusion of city level energy and climate protection policies in the absence of strong state or federal incentives poses a curious puzzle for social science theories of policy adoption and collective action. Why do local officials pursue climate mitigation initiatives when the benefits must be shared? We want to explore the co-benefits of sustainability efforts including: economic development; transportation, land use and energy efficiency; and the protection of the environment and human health. Are these co-benefits realized in practice? To what extent do they allow local officials to overcome the collective action problems of local climate protection? How do co-benefits shape policy design and implementation? The workshop is scheduled will be held at the Devoe Moore Center at Florida State University (FSU) February 23-25, 2012 in Tallahassee, Florida. The workshop will bring together top scholars to present research focused on local climate mitigation.	• Local Governance Program • Previous Workshops • Sustainability Energy & Governance Center • APSA Urban Politics Section • Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability • DeVoe L. Moore Center • Askew School of Public Administration and Policy • Local Governance Team • Richard C. Feiock