Is there a niche for the NAP in mature climate policy frameworks? An analysis of flood risk management in England and its alignment with adaptation policies

Andrew Russell, Aakash Dipak Patel and Isabel Cotton

No pv2ny_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: The National Adaptation Programme (NAP) in England is a wide-ranging, statutory, 5-yearly plan that, within the Climate Change Act 2008, has a requirement to develop adaptation objectives to manage climate risks. Since NAP1 in 2013, it has been repeatedly assessed as inadequate by many stakeholders. Here, we investigate how and why it has failed, and assess whether there is a niche for a NAP in a well-developed environmental risk management policy space. We conducted a survey (n=112) that collected quantitative and rich qualitative responses, alongside 4 interviews, with flood risk management (FRM) professionals from England to examine how well the NAP has integrated into this sector, and which policy gaps the NAP could fill. The results indicate that the NAP is much less important to FRM professionals than other relevant strategies and policies, and that its goal or ambition was articulated poorly compared to other policies or plans; the NAP ranked second-bottom for both criteria out of 12 relevant strategies and policies presented. The factors seen as inhibiting adaptation integration were: fragmented governance; avoiding big decisions; and funding alignment with protection rather than resilience measures. Arbitrary targets linked to infrastructure (eg. number of properties better protected) were seen as a barrier to working towards a resilient society. There was significant support for using progress measures more relevant to communities, that cut across policy silos and that apply a wider, resilience-focused interpretation of risk management (eg. saving lives, reforming funding approaches, greater social equity, ensuring insurance availability).

Date: 2026-10-14
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:pv2ny_v1

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/pv2ny_v1

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