Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice

Comparative Analysis of Climate Policy Narratives across Asia

The Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis calls for paper abstracts from scholars and researchers working on the “Comparative Analysis of Climate Policy Narratives,” particularly within the contested—and often varied—contexts of Asia. This special issue responds to the emergent demand and need to understand climate policy from different and diverse narratives. Moreover, the call is especially interested in contributions that compare the components of climate policy narratives and the politics of knowledge embedded within them—highlighting how different stories shape climate action and inaction. Particular attention is given to decisions regarding the promotion of fossil fuel-related activities and high-emission industries, including how climate-unfriendly resource use is justified through narratives of being “cleaner,” “more efficient,” or “more reliable.”. The editors are interested in work that seeks to foreground policy narratives as an often-overlooked unit of comparative policy analysis and that offers critical insights and empirical discussions from across Asian settings. We welcome diverse methodological approaches—quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods—to advance a comparative understanding of how climate policy narratives influence decision-making and shape responses to climate-related challenges.

We invite contributions from authors whose work addresses the following inquiries:

• How do policy narratives frame climate action and inaction in Asia?
• Who are the heroes, villains, and victims in Asian climate policy narratives?
• How do climate policy narratives in Asia establish the main plot—its problems, causes, and proposed solutions?
• What is the moral of the story in Asian climate policy narratives?
• What empirical evidence is used to support climate policy narratives in the region?
• How does contextual and local knowledge shape climate policy narratives in Asia?
• What normative assumptions, ideological commitments, or underlying emotions are embedded in these narratives?
• How do Asian climate policy narratives align with global standards—particularly those shaped by Western thought and international organizations?
• How do Asian countries learn from one another through the translation of climate policy narratives, considering socio-political and economic differences, as well as cultural values, norms, and belief systems?
• What are the constructive roles and limitations of comparative narrative policy analysis in understanding climate problematization and proposed solutions across Asia?