Conceptualising the science-policy-practice interface of adaptive governance

Adaptive governance aspires to cultivate governance that is responsive to changing conditions. Irrespective of whether those changes are social, cultural, political, ecological, or economic, knowledge of conditions and dynamics of change is critical to achieving this aim. The processes and structures through which knowledge informs decision-making are often termed science-policy-practice interfaces (SPPIs). These SPPIs are shaped by social, cultural, and political dynamics, however these important influences often receive insufficient attention in adaptive governance scholarship and practice. This chapter discusses different ways of conceptualising the relationships between science and governance to mobilise change. The chapter shows how SPPIs can be understood as inherently political spaces in which ideas about how a problem is defined and what actions are considered appropriate are debated and contested alongside questions about the organisation of the SPPI itself. We will argue that an awareness of these dynamics is central to developing reflexive SPPIs for adaptive governance.