Transforming Environmental Policy through Adaptive Governance to Enhance Urban Socio-Ecological Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71435/Keywords:
Environmental Governance , Urban Resilience , Collaborative Governance , Institutional Adaptability , Sustainable Urban DevelopmentAbstract
Purpose: This study examines the influence of adaptive governance on environmental policy transformation and its contribution to strengthening urban socio-ecological resilience in major metropolitan areas of India. The research seeks to explain how adaptive governance mechanisms support policy innovation and enhance the resilience of urban socio-ecological systems in response to increasingly complex environmental challenges.
Subjects and Methods: A quantitative research design was employed using a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2024 involving 360 respondents from Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. Participants represented government institutions, environmental agencies, academics, urban planners, non-governmental organizations, and community leaders. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Instrument validity, reliability, and classical assumption tests were performed to ensure data quality.
Results: The findings demonstrate that adaptive governance significantly promotes environmental policy transformation (β = 0.742; p < 0.001) and directly enhances urban socio-ecological resilience (β = 0.361; p < 0.001). Environmental policy transformation also exerts a significant positive influence on resilience (β = 0.412; p < 0.001). The structural model explains 64.8% of the variance in urban resilience, highlighting the importance of collaborative governance, institutional learning, and policy flexibility in improving adaptive capacity.
Conclusions: Adaptive governance serves as a fundamental institutional driver of environmental policy transformation and urban socio-ecological resilience. Strengthening collaborative institutions, adaptive policy frameworks, and continuous organizational learning is essential for enhancing sustainable urban resilience under increasing environmental uncertainty.
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