Publications

Social discounting and the cost of public funding in practice

Working paper by Michael Spackman on 28 Apr 2021

This paper is a contribution to the understanding and development of social discounting regimes. It addresses three implications of how public funding differs from private financing by debt and equity, then examines US Federal and United Kingdom central government conventions, and also illustrates the difficulties of establishing and maintaining analytically rigorous social discounting procedures in practice.

It takes two to dance: Institutional dynamics and climate-related financial policies

Working paper by Moritz Baer, Emanuele Campiglio, Jérôme Deyris on 22 Apr 2021

This paper studies how institutional dynamics might affect the implementation of climate-related financial policies and discusses the scenarios that might originate from the current institutional setting.

Multiple resilience dividends at the community level: A comparative study on disaster risk reduction interventions in different countries

Working paper by Viktor Rözer, Swenja Surminski, Finn Laurien, Colin McQuistan, Reinhard Mechler on 22 Apr 2021

The concept of ‘multiple resilience dividends’ is not yet widely applied. This paper analyses the knowledge gaps and challenges that arise from applying ‘multiple resilience dividends’ in the planning, implementation and evaluation of disaster risk reduction interventions at the community level.

What does an EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism mean for the UK?

Policy publication by Josh Burke, Misato Sato, Charlotte Taylor, Fangmin Li on 1 Apr 2021

There has been a resurgence in the debate around Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs) and the role they may play in preserving the effectiveness of climate action in high ambition countries. This report explores how the European Union’s CBAM, announced to come into force by the end of 2022, might affect the UK.

Saving lives and livelihoods: the benefits of investments in climate change adaptation and resilience

Policy publication by Sophie Dicker, Sam Unsworth, Rebecca Byrnes, Bob Ward on 31 Mar 2021

This report highlights six case studies of successful climate change adaptation and resilience, mostly in developing countries. It assesses the success of specific adaptation and resilience processes, the benefits gained and the lessons learned.

Climate variability affects water-energy-food infrastructure performance in East Africa

Research article by Christian Siderius, Martin Todd, Ajay Gajanan Bhave, Andrew Dougill, David Mkwambisi, Joanna Pardoe, Japhet J. Kashaigili, Katharine Vincent, Rachel James, Richard Washington, Declan Conway on 11 Mar 2021

The authors of this paper examined past and future climate variability with the aim of understanding the main source of climate risk to development plans across the water, energy, and food sectors in southern East Africa, a relatively neglected region in terms of climate science and targeted for extensive infrastructure development.

Assessing the Quality of Regional Climate Information

Research article by Marina Baldissera Pacchetti, Suraje Dessai, Seamus Bradley, David Stainforth on 9 Mar 2021

Abstract There are now a plethora of data, models, and approaches available to produce regional and local climate information intended to inform adaptation to a changing climate. There is, however, no framework to assess the quality of these data, models, and approaches that takes into account the issues that arise when this information is produced. […]

Fiscal responsibility in advanced economies through investment for economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

Policy publication by Nicholas Stern, Dimitri Zenghelis on 8 Mar 2021

This paper explains why a sustained, strong and non-inflationary recovery from COVID-19 must be driven by private investment, and sets out priority actions for governments.

Imaginaries of development corridors: Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through development corridors in East Africa

Working paper by Kate Elizabeth Gannon, Laetitia Pettinotti, Declan Conway, Swenja Surminski, Edward Ndilhana, Tobias Nyumba on 12 Dec 2020

The analysis suggests that the Sustainable Development Goals and their targets mostly create conditions that aid the achievement of each other within development corridors but that there are trade-offs between some goals and other development gains. The authors signal priority areas for investment, policy reorientation and strengthened safeguards, to maximise positive SDG interactions and minimise negative ones.

Aligning finance with the Paris Agreement: An overview of concepts, approaches, progress and necessary action

Policy publication by James Rydge on 11 Dec 2020

This paper provides a high-level and accessible overview of the most prominent methods and metrics emerging in the public and private sector to assess Paris alignment of finance flows and guide investment decisions. It aims to provide clarity for any finance actor who needs to understand and progress the Paris alignment of finance flows.