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Do cities with greater transformative governance capacity pursue more ambitious policies? Examining U.S. cities through the lens of climate resiliency
Brief about:
Journal Article (2025)
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Investigates the role of internal governance culture in enhancing climate resilience at the municipal level in the United States, emphasizing the concept of Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC).
In the face of climate risks such as floods and extreme heat, local governments in the United States often prioritize financial resources like staff size, budget, or federal aid. However, new research highlights the significance of internal governance culture-specifically how local governments learn, anticipate, and adapt to climate challenges. The study introduces the concept of Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC), which is characterized by a community’s ability to not just recover from climate shocks but to improve and innovate in response to them. This capacity is linked to the adoption of ambitious climate policies, particularly in flood management, beyond federal minimum requirements. The research utilizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) as a measure of ambition, where participating communities can reduce insurance premiums for residents by 5–45% through comprehensive risk reduction strategies. Despite these benefits, only about 5% of U.S. communities participate in CRS, with governance culture identified as a key differentiator.
Key findings
- Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC) significantly influences a community's ability to adopt ambitious climate policies.Evidence
Communities with high TGC are more likely to join FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS) and score, on average, 272 points higher than their peers within the program. This translates into stronger resident protection and lower long-term costs.
What it meansHigh TGC enables communities to exceed federal climate policy minimums, fostering resilience and reducing long-term costs.
- Governance culture, rather than financial resources or hazard exposure, often determines participation in FEMA's CRS.Evidence
Only about 5% of U.S. communities participate in CRS, with governance culture being a more critical factor than financial capacity or hazard exposure.
What it meansCultivating a strong governance culture can enable communities to engage in more ambitious climate resilience efforts, regardless of financial constraints.
- Learning-focused, proactive, and risk-accepting behaviors are central to Transformative Governance Capacity.Evidence
Communities that scored higher on the TGC index exhibited behaviors such as continuously seeking new information, planning for long-term risks, and accepting political and financial risks for bold actions.
What it meansThese behaviors are essential for communities to effectively manage and adapt to climate risks.
- Modest-budget local governments with strong learning and adaptation cultures can outperform wealthier peers in climate resilience.Evidence
The study emphasizes that traditional measures like population size and revenue do not fully capture the behavioral side of governance, which is crucial for resilience.
What it meansLocal governments can enhance resilience by focusing on governance culture rather than solely on financial resources.
Proposed action
- The study emphasizes that capacity isn’t just about resources. Local governments with modest budgets but strong cultures of learning and adaptation can outperform wealthier peers. Traditional measures—population size, revenue, or even flood risk—explain some differences, but they don’t capture the behavioral side of governance. For practitioners, this means that cultivating TGC is within reach. The authors suggest:Step one
Investing in staff training that builds strategic foresight and adaptive management skills.
Step twoEngaging in peer networks like ICLEI or regional collaboratives to exchange knowledge.
Step threeExperimenting with participatory processes (citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting) that strengthen legitimacy and generate new ideas.
Step fourEncouraging policy pilots—small-scale experiments that can be scaled if successful.
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Do cities with greater transformative governance capacity pursue more ambitious policies? Examining U.S. cities through the lens of climate resiliency
Cite this brief: Fatemi, S. Mohsen. 'Do cities with greater transformative governance capacity pursue more ambitious policies? Examining U.S. cities through the lens of climate resiliency'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/do-cities-with-greater-transformative-governance-capacity-pursue-more-ambitious-policies-examining-u-s-cities-through-the-lens-of-climateresiliency/
Brief created by: S. Mohsen Fatemi | Year brief made: 2025
Original research:
- Krause, R., Fatemi, S. M., & et al., (2025) ‘Do cities with greater transformative governance capacity pursue more ambitious policies? Examining U.S. cities through the lens of climate resiliency’ https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2025.2512453. – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14693062.2025.2512453
Research brief:
Investigates the role of internal governance culture in enhancing climate resilience at the municipal level in the United States, emphasizing the concept of Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC).
In the face of climate risks such as floods and extreme heat, local governments in the United States often prioritize financial resources like staff size, budget, or federal aid. However, new research highlights the significance of internal governance culture-specifically how local governments learn, anticipate, and adapt to climate challenges. The study introduces the concept of Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC), which is characterized by a community’s ability to not just recover from climate shocks but to improve and innovate in response to them. This capacity is linked to the adoption of ambitious climate policies, particularly in flood management, beyond federal minimum requirements. The research utilizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) as a measure of ambition, where participating communities can reduce insurance premiums for residents by 5–45% through comprehensive risk reduction strategies. Despite these benefits, only about 5% of U.S. communities participate in CRS, with governance culture identified as a key differentiator.
Findings:
Transformative Governance Capacity (TGC) significantly influences a community’s ability to adopt ambitious climate policies.
Communities with high TGC are more likely to join FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) and score, on average, 272 points higher than their peers within the program. This translates into stronger resident protection and lower long-term costs.
High TGC enables communities to exceed federal climate policy minimums, fostering resilience and reducing long-term costs.
Governance culture, rather than financial resources or hazard exposure, often determines participation in FEMA’s CRS.
Only about 5% of U.S. communities participate in CRS, with governance culture being a more critical factor than financial capacity or hazard exposure.
Cultivating a strong governance culture can enable communities to engage in more ambitious climate resilience efforts, regardless of financial constraints.
Learning-focused, proactive, and risk-accepting behaviors are central to Transformative Governance Capacity.
Communities that scored higher on the TGC index exhibited behaviors such as continuously seeking new information, planning for long-term risks, and accepting political and financial risks for bold actions.
These behaviors are essential for communities to effectively manage and adapt to climate risks.
Modest-budget local governments with strong learning and adaptation cultures can outperform wealthier peers in climate resilience.
The study emphasizes that traditional measures like population size and revenue do not fully capture the behavioral side of governance, which is crucial for resilience.
Local governments can enhance resilience by focusing on governance culture rather than solely on financial resources.
Advice:
The study emphasizes that capacity isn’t just about resources. Local governments with modest budgets but strong cultures of learning and adaptation can outperform wealthier peers. Traditional measures—population size, revenue, or even flood risk—explain some differences, but they don’t capture the behavioral side of governance. For practitioners, this means that cultivating TGC is within reach. The authors suggest: