While domestic environmental agencies are still responsible for follow up the progress of environmental policy, the context of complex and large-scale environmental problems strongly influence the possibility to fulfill policy objectives. This thesis explores a case of bilateral environmental cooperation carried out by Swedish environmental authorities, to analyze how it contributes to governance and governability of environmental issue areas. Qualitative interviews with concerned actors revealed that bilateral cooperation was perceived to fill specific functions for the governability of environmental issues, complementary to other international cooperation. Key perceived qualities of bilateral cooperation were that it enabled trustful relations on working level and served as a door opener for dialogue. Joint policy development by environmental agency peers and demonstrating successful examples were seen as useful for promoting policy change. Applying a perspective of interactive governance, the thesis highlights that goals and activity selection of the studied bilateral cooperation were formed through interactions between the involved agencies and with partner countries. Bureaucratic structure and discourses on international cooperation constitute important limitations to the development and use of bilateral environmental cooperation. The study recommends governability assessment as a tool for improving design and follow-up of international environmental cooperation. Governability assessment analyzes the role that the interaction, and the interacting organization play in a governing system of an environmental issue area. The thesis adds to previous research on global environmental governance with empirical examples of the role bilateral interactions plays in the governing systems, as well as the specific qualities perceived by actors as crucial to the role. It also provides recommendations on how to further analyze initiatives by actors aiming to exercise environmental leadership in a diverse or fragmented institutional context of global environmental governance.

The aim of the thesis is to analyze local Corporate Social Responsibility and how this relates to local political priorities in Denver, Colorado to provide insights both in the US context but also in the midst of the Swedish debate regarding the role of private provision of welfare. The research questions are threefold: 1. Are private engagements addressing welfare issues as identified by the public sector?, 2. What is the interaction between public and private sector in social engagements in Denver? and 3. What expressions of a governance network prevails in the cross-sector interactions in social provisions in this case study? The empirical material used in this case study consist of data collected by conducting semi-structured interviews from Denver-based corporations and individuals working for the City and County of Denver. Theories of governance; network governance and interactive governance have been applied in structuring and in the analysis of the empirical data. The results indicate that due to the internal incapacity as a result of the fiscal- and spending restrictions of the public sector in the provision of social services, the public sector lacks the capacity in providing social services for the constituents. This has opened up for a need of nontraditional governance solutions which includes a dependence of private-sector provision of welfare. Furthermore, there are expressions which indicate that CSR does play a role in the local provision of social services by filling the gap of provision which is left as a result of the institutional incapacity of the public sector. However, there are indicators of large variations in the connectedness of the linkages within the network, varying from close connections and comanagement between CSR and public initiatives to activities expressed as the self-governance of corporations in the provision of social services, making top-down goal sharing such as incentives crucial for the public sector to get corporations to address local priorities. Keywords: governance, interactive governance, network governance, welfare provision, cross-sector, CSR

We live in a complex, interconnected and constantly changing world. Human driven global climate change is now a local reality that reinforces the inherent need for adaptability in human systems. Adaptability, the capacity to adapt to disturbance and change and navigate system transformation, can be understood as a function of socio-political interactions. The capacity of governing systems to deal with novel challenges through novel forms of interaction is a key issue in the governance literature, but which is only beginning to be explored. We therefore know little of how global change will impact the local level and how institutions and governing systems will respond. The need for adaptability is likely to be more pronounced for tightly coupled human-environmental systems. Indigenous and natural resource dependent communities in general, and in the Northern hemisphere in particular, are among the most exposed to ongoing and projected climate change. In Sweden, reindeer husbandry is an Indigenous Sami livelihood and extensive land-use practice highly exposed to weather conditions and increasing competition over land and resources. Whereas herders struggle to deal with the challenges that now confront them, the practice is also known as resilient and sustainable, having withstood large-scale social, ecological and economic change before. The aim with this thesis is to explore adaptability from a governancetheoretical perspective in the case of Sami reindeer husbandry in Sweden. The thesis thereby contributes to the emerging literatures on governance and adaptability and addresses empirically identified needs. Theoretically, the thesis draws on Kooiman’s interactive governance framework, which offers a multidimensional approach to governance analysis where structural aspects are addressed through modes (self-, coand hierarchical governing) and intentional aspects through governing elements (images, instruments and action). While conceptually encompassing, the framework has rarely been employed in empirical analyses. In advancing an operationalisation of the framework based on governing orders (operational, institutional and meta-order), the thesis thereby makes a theoretical contribution. Designed as a qualitative case study, the thesis explores how reindeer husbandry is governed and how governing has changed over time (institutional and meta-order); how the governing system restricts or facilitates adaptation and transformation (operational order); and how a governance-theoretical perspective can contribute to our understanding of adaptability. Methods include document analysis, focus groups, interviews and participatory observation. Studies focussing the operational order have been conducted in collaboration with Vilhelmina North reindeer herding community in Västerbotten county, Sweden. The results show that only marginal change has occurred over time and state actors still dominate governing interactions. The governing system is riddled with inconsistencies among governing elements and particularly problematic is the lack of coherence between different meta-order images and between different actors. This gives rise to divergent and conflicting views as to ‘what’ the system of reindeer husbandry is and explains some of the observed governing inaction and limited problem-solving capacity of the governing system. Herders are currently highly restricted in their opportunities for adaptation and transformation and the governing system therefore acts restricting rather than facilitating on adaptability. By adopting a governance-theoretical approach, adaptability as a system quality has been decomposed and challenged and the important role of governing images and power in determining adaptability has been highlighted. It has called attention to questions such as who is forced to adapt, how images and governing interactions are constructed, and how different socio-political actors can exercise influence over the governing system and interactions taking place therein. The thesis calls for more critical and empirical research on adaptability and argues that future studies need to situate and balance adaptability against other fundamental values and rights. In the case of reindeer husbandry, efforts are needed to create a better internal fit between governing elements as well as between involved socio-political actors. This could enable more equal governing interactions with other land-users and thereby contribute to mitigating conflicts as well as increasing adaptability.

It is impossible for the world to exist without water, then why do socio-political systems treat it like an unnecessary, disposable resource?  Currently, there is a water crisis happening globally, and specifically in Brazil it encompasses tremendous socio-ecological, political, cultural and economic injustices and challenges. The water resources management and the national infrastructures are inadequate to conserve and treat this valuable commodity. As a result, water is mismanaged and misused causing contaminations, scarcity and socio-economic imbalances. This condition is an unacceptable scenery that calls for radical systemic changes and incorporation of innovative approaches in governmental leadership and socio-political organisation and structure in order to achieve better governance. It is in fact a complex situation that urges the civil society and leaders in power to collaborate and collectively act towards a common mission; save the water and impede the water catastrophe that will cause unprecedented consequences in humanity and on the planet. This paper uses qualitative method research, specifically two case studies focused on the South of Brazil to address the revitalization of urban rivers as well as the issue of ocean governance. It also conducts 10 semi-structured interviews with sustainability experts from a multi-dimensional stakeholder perspective. Thus, the most critical findings of the study are the lack of governance and the insufficient engagement of the civil society due to mistrust, conservative leadership and governmental inadequate management of water resources. Moreover, this research concludes that social and public sector innovation encourage societal inclusivity and eventually foster a ‘bottom up’ system change to achieve interactive water governance and socio-political and ecological resilience.