The roles of public and private actors in the governance of adaptation: the case of agricultural insurance in India

摘要

Climate change adaptation is an increasingly important field and will involve a range ofudactors from national governments to private companies, communities and households.udThere is a growing policy discourse supporting the involvement of the private sector inudadaptation, however there is little empirical examination to show how the sector might beudinvolved and how adaptation might be governed. This paper uses evidence from the field ofudrisk governance and insurance and analytical frameworks from the wider governanceudliterature to draw important findings for the governance of adaptation. We use the recentlyudpublished Compendium of Disaster Risk Initiatives in the Developing World and a case studyudof agricultural insurance in India to argue that the role of the private sector is increasing butudso far within a particular model of engagement. In the context of climate change, how theudpublic-private relationships are constructed is key to how adaptation can be leveraged fromudsuch an arrangement. The evidence in this paper suggests that due to commercial viabilityudand other concerns there will continue to be a role for the public sector alongside theudprivate sector to ensure adaptation measures address vulnerability. In conclusion we argueudthat the type of relationship between the public and the private actors has a significantudinfluence on the adaptation outcomes. The question is not purely about involving theudprivate sector which is how this is currently framed within policy and academic work onudadaptation, but how the private actors are engaged. . Governments seeking to engageudprivate actors need to build those relationships with the desired adaptation outcomes inudmind.