CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Hamilton, Daragh John |
|---|---|
| Title | From Process to Outcomes: An exploratory study of the Irish Climate Assembly (ICA) |
| Summary | This thesis explores the Irish Climate Assembly (ICA), a trailblazing deliberative process tasked with examining how Ireland could lead on climate action. The rare case study offers critical insights into the potential of (Climate) Citizens’ Assemblies {(C)CAs} to bridge the prevailing gap between climate science and policy action in “laggard” countries. Through the triangulation of multiple qualitative methods (interviews, observation, and documental analysis), the study firstly evaluates the ICA’s “input legitimacy” – its representativeness, procedural rules, information stage and process-outcomes. It subsequently explores its “output legitimacy” – namely, the consideration and uptake of recommendations by the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Action (PCCA) and broader structural changes on policymaking. This research focus on “input-output” interlinkages is unique within the empirical literature and reveals tension between deliberative ideals and the realities of policymaking in line with the “green dilemma”. Specifically, the findings reveal that many ICA recommendations were aligned with pre-existing policy preferences; that PCCA actors were aware of ICA design-issues which influenced their response to controversial proposals; and how key policy actors seek to instrumentalise (C)CAs for their own strategic objectives, despite the rhetoric of citizen empowerment. In analysing legitimacy claims and illuminating the perceptions of key actors, this research proffers unique insights to enhance the design and institutionalisation of (C)CAs. Herein, it also contests the often-uncritical narrative surrounding the ICA and (Irish) CAs more generally. Nonetheless, it illustrates the potential of (C)CAs to serve as a catalyst for (climate) policymaking, while emphasising the need for transparent and independent evaluations of deliberative processes. |
| Supervisor | Antypas, Alexios |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/hamilton_daragh-john.pdf |
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