Methodology

Research methodology

Across our ambitious research agenda, RETOOL will develop new analytical and empirical approaches to studying the relationship between the climate emergency and democratic governance and deliver new insights on existing practices and innovations across four key domains of democratic climate governance. Collectively, the insights generated will take us significantly beyond the frontier of current knowledge, helping ultimately to address the climate challenge through strengthened democratic governance.

RETOOL will be underpinned by a robust and interdisciplinary analytical framework aimed at helping us to better understand the relationship between democratic governance and the climate imperative.
 
We aim to conceptualise, theorise, and analyse both the impact of climate transitions on democratic governance and how our structures of democratic governance shape climate transitions. Doing so will enable RETOOL to contribute to enhancing the ability of democratic governance to address complex problems and enhance the capacity of democratic governance to mobilise and engage citizens in climate transitions. By delivering these insights, we aim to improve policymaking at all levels of government and encourage international cooperation.

 

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The project will develop and unfold in four interlinked steps:

Mountain
Step 1

Establishing the analytical and empirical foundations of our work by developing our analytical framework and developing empirical underpinnings that will inform our subsequent research.

Field
Step 2

Conducting systematic and ground-breaking research on four domains of democratic climate governance, studying both existing processes as well as promising innovations in governance.

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Step 3

Synthesising our research across the four domains of democratic climate governance in order to understand interactions between domains and to generate user-focused outputs from our research.

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Step 4

Communicating and disseminating our outputs to policymakers, researchers, democracy practitioners, civil society, and citizens to ensure that recommendations reach key audiences in a timely manner.