Local governments have come to play an increasingly active role in addressing current environmental challenges. In addition to improving the environmental performance of a specific city, such initiatives can potentially spur policy change at other levels of government and thereby contribute to the addressing of global environmental challenges. This type of interplay between local and higher levels of government has been insufficiently addressed by environmental governance research. This study addresses this research gap by looking at the case of regulatory energy performance requirements on buildings in Sweden. Through a case study methodology, the research turns to policy documents and interviews. The research shows how local energy performance requirements on buildings provided tensions that impeded their own longevity but contributed to raising ambitions in national regulation. The research contributes to work on polycentric governance by accounting for the existence of hierarchies through the use of concepts from historical institutionalism. In this regard, the study suggests that governance initiatives are prone to institutional layering that, through policy feedback processes, conditions their impact in terms of reaching overarching policy goals. The research is important as it adds empirical substance to the discussion on the potential and limits of local governments in addressing current environmental challenges.

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限制多中心性？瑞典建筑节能绩效要求的制度分层和政策反馈

地方政府在应对当前的环境挑战中已发挥越来越积极的作用。除了改善特定城市的环境绩效外，此类举措还可能刺激其他政府部门的政策变化，从而有助于应对全球环境挑战。环境治理研究不足以解决地方政府与上级政府之间的这种相互作用。本研究通过研究瑞典建筑物对法规能源性能要求的案例来解决这一研究空白。通过案例研究方法，研究转向政策文件和访谈。该研究表明，建筑物对当地能源性能的要求如何造成紧张局势，阻碍其寿命，但有助于提高国家监管的抱负。该研究通过使用历史制度主义的概念来解释等级制度的存在，从而为多中心治理工作做出了贡献。在这方面，研究表明，治理计划倾向于通过政策反馈过程在机构层面进行分层，从而在实现总体政策目标方面调节其影响力。该研究非常重要，因为它为讨论地方政府在应对当前环境挑战方面的潜力和局限性增加了经验性内容。该研究通过使用历史制度主义的概念来解释等级制度的存在，从而为多中心治理工作做出了贡献。在这方面，研究表明，治理计划倾向于通过政策反馈过程在机构层面进行分层，从而在实现总体政策目标方面调节其影响力。该研究非常重要，因为它为讨论地方政府在应对当前环境挑战方面的潜力和局限性增加了经验性内容。该研究通过使用历史制度主义的概念来解释等级制度的存在，从而为多中心治理工作做出了贡献。在这方面，研究表明，治理计划倾向于通过政策反馈过程在机构层面进行分层，从而在实现总体政策目标方面调节其影响力。这项研究很重要，因为它为讨论地方政府应对当前环境挑战的潜力和局限性增加了经验性内容。