Multiple Partial Couplings in the Multiple Streams Framework: The Case of Extreme Weather and Climate Change Adaptation

In this paper, I draw insights from a detailed case study of adaptation policymaking to develop a novel interpretation of John Kingdon's original work that shows how policy entrepreneurs can couple the problem, policy, and political streams through multiple partial couplings. Researchers and policymakers often assume that extreme weather opens a window to adopt policies aimed at adapting to long‐term climate change. However, empirical evidence shows that crises can redirect attention to urgent, short‐term goals. Using the Multiple Streams lens in an abductive case study, I investigate how these competing forces interact to influence the policy process. By unpacking Kingdon's familiar “streams” metaphor and elaborating his overlooked concept of partial couplings, I illustrate how the policy entrepreneurs' strategy of issue linking explains Australia's adoption of the 2007 Water Act, one of the world's first major adaptation policies, at the height of its decade‐long Millennium Drought. Employing this novel theoretical understanding offers new insights into this important case. I conclude by developing tentative hypotheses for testing in future studies. 在本文中，我对气候变化的适应政策进行了详细的案例研究，并从中获取了一些见解。我对约翰·金登的原作进行了新的解读，并指出政策企业家如何通过多次“局部结合”来将问题源流、政策源流和政治源流进行汇合。研究人员和政策制定者通常认为，极端天气可以为政策制定者打开“政策之窗”，这使得他们能够推行以适应长期气候变化为宗旨的政策；但实证证据表明，这种危机反而可以将注意力转向那些紧急的短期目标。为研究这些相互对立的因素如何相互作用并影响政策过程，我使用多源流理论进行了一项溯源性的案例研究。人们很熟悉金登提出的“源流”比喻，但对于其所提出的“局部结合”概念却缺乏重视。为此，我对金登的两个概念都进行了剖析，并阐明，政策企业家将事物联系起来的策略解释了澳大利亚2007年水法的推行。这部水法是于澳大利亚长达十年的“千禧年干旱”最严重之时被通过的，这是世界上最早采取适应政策的重要案例之一。本文提出新的理论解释，为这一重要案例提供了新的见解。在文章最后，我提出了一些试探性假设以在未来的研究中进行检验。