A network approach to understanding the multilevel governance dynamics of low-carbon mobility in the UK

Analyses of multilevel governance systems, consisting of societal actors operating at and between different political-organisational scales (supra-national, national, local), is a growing area of focus in transport studies. There is recognition that the way in which transport policy is developed and implemented, and infrastructure and systems coordinated, is affected by the institutional arrangements of the cities. However, the majority of studies focus on the formal, structural characteristics of multi-level systems, such as the diversity and number of institutions involved in decision-making, and their authority and responsibilities. As a result, there have been growing calls for transport governance systems to be simplified and better ‘integrated’ – for example through greater vertical alignment between national, regional, and local organisations. The assumption being that less complex networks lead to more effective policymaking and delivery. However, comparative studies demonstrate that more ‘integrated’ multilevel networks face the same challenges with policy change and delivery that more complex systems do. This therefore signals the need for more interpretive accounts and a more nuanced understanding and analysis of institutional networks, focused on the ways in which actors situated within multilevel and networked governance systems understand and interpret their contexts. With the aim of helping to address this research gap, this paper will present a comparative analysis of the multilevel and networked governance systems relating to low-carbon mobility in two UK cities: Birmingham and Cambridge. Governance systems in each city are visualised as network maps, depicting organisations and their relationships to each other. The purpose of the network visualisation and analysis is to identify the differences between network structures ‘as seen from the outside’ (the formal arrangements) and ‘from within’ (through actor interpretation). ‘Formal’ network structures are reconstructed through secondary data, e.g. local, regional and national policy documents, consultation protocols, minutes of meetings, media reports and research publications. ‘Interpretive’ networks are developed based on 50 semi-structured interviews with key actors from the networks. Interviewees include policymakers from local transport authorities, regional energy distributors, transport operators, infrastructure developers, charities and activist groups. The aim of the interviews is to uncover how network actors understand their role and powers to facilitate policy change and action, given the constraining and enabling effects of their perceived position within the networks. The comparative analysis of the two types of networks aims to highlight the differences between network structures as understood formally (stage one) and as understood by the actors themselves (stage two). These differences enable disconnects in multilevel and networked governance arrangements to be identified, and expose areas where governance arrangements could be better facilitated to enable effective and transformative policy change towards low-carbon mobility. It in turn enables a more nuanced and fine-grained understanding of the dynamics of multilevel governance in practice, and highlights the value of utilisation of social network analysis principles for this purpose.