VIRAL GOVERNANCE AND MIXED MOTIVATIONS ■ 169Thematic Categories for Participation
An analysis of the archival data in terms of the question “Why are cities par-
ticipating in the USMCPA?” yielded 10 thematic categories. Th ese categories
reveal ways in which mayors and municipal offi cials understood their partici-
pation in the USMCPA while speaking as representatives of their cities. De-
scriptions of these themes and occurrence levels are provided in table 6.2.
Th ese 10 themes demonstrate that mayors and city offi cials were thinking
about the global warming issue in diff erent ways when making public statements
on behalf of their cities. Two of these leading themes—city solidarity and green
capital—have been identifi ed as sources of “contagion” for the overall policy
TABLE 6.2
Occurrence Levels and Thematic Categories for Participation
in the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
Why and How Cities Participate in the USMCPA, 2005–07
Occurrence levelsa Emergent themes Emergent theme description
25 Local urgency Local consequences make action urgent
8 Global urgency Global consequences make action urgent
18 Moral urgency There is a moral imperative to act now
27 Future generations Intergenerational equity, sustainability,
and responsibility for future generations
(keyword: future)
33 Environmental
protection
Responsibility to the environment,
stewardship
26 Economic incentive Economic rationales for environmental
policy citing either past or future fi nancial
benefi ts
14 Absence of federal
action
Failure of the federal government to take
suffi cient action
31 Green capital Desire to be a green leader among cities;
green leadership by example to encourage
action by constituent base
10 Power in numbers The more, the better—number of partici-
pants is important for solutions
35 City solidarity Cities and mayors are part of collective
group; cities and mayors work together;
cities have a collective strength and share
information; cities draw strength from unity;
cities are at the center of global warming
solutions
Source: Warden 2007.
a n = 125 cities (227 thematic occurrences).