Multi-level governance constraints on the local science–policy–practice interface: Evidence from Ho Chi Minh City flood management

Abstract

Stronger collaboration between science, policy and practice is widely acknowledged as essential for addressing escalating climate risks, yet the governance structures shaping such collaboration are often overlooked. This study brings together Multi-level Governance and Science-Policy-Practice Interface (SPPI) scholarship to examine how vertical power relations shape the connection between climate knowledge, policy formulation and practice at the local level, through a case study of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)'s urban flood management. Drawing on document analysis, interviews, site visits, and news reports, the findings demonstrate that local flood management efforts are constrained by hierarchical governance procedures. The challenges include: a national preference for conventional approaches that hinders adaptive solutions at the municipal level; top-down planning that creates a mismatch between national objectives and local implementation capacity; and centralised control over budget management, technical standards, and legal reforms, which limits private sector participation and local governments' ability to respond to context-specific challenges. The paper argues that strengthening local government autonomy and enabling more flexible mechanisms for integrating diverse expertise could foster innovation and timely, context-relevant adaptation strategies. Examining the case of HCMC advances understanding of how power relations shape the SPPI and contributes to the growing global literature on the pivotal role of local governments in advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation. It calls for future studies to move beyond a single administrative level to examine how political structure influences the science-policy-practice interface in different social-political contexts.