Power and the extent of influence in the governance of drought: Insights from Botswana

Abstract Drought management, exacerbated by climate change, requires adaptive governance systems that are multi-scale and multi-actor. However, the benefits of adaptive governance systems can be undermined by power imbalances across actors. There are limited studies that investigate how power dynamics challenge or support multi-level governance in drought decision making. Yet doing so helps to unmask the power asymmetries of the actors involved, the possible conflict of interest, and hidden power. This paper uses a dual approach to analysis power by visually mapping stakeholders’ perception of power and influence in drought governance and using the polycentric power typology. The findings reveal that while the current governance arrangement allows for the involvement of local actors across different levels of governance, pragmatic power tends to keep sub-national government and NGOs out of the decision-making process. At the same time, pragmatic power also enables agency of local communities by aligning with local priorities and enhancing local legitimacy. This paper shows how a nuanced understanding of power can help to understand where interventions might contribute to strengthening multi-level governance and procedural justice that bring in more diverse perspectives, contributing to debates around fair climate adaptation.