Publications

Cooperation in the climate commons

Working paper by Stefano Carattini, Simon Levin, Alessandro Tavoni on 18 Jan 2017

This paper surveys the existing empirical evidence on the scope for cooperation in the climate commons and on the effectiveness of possible interventions to spur it. Given the global public … read more »


Can low-carbon urban development be pro-poor? The case of Kolkata, India

Research article by Sarah Colenbrander, Andy Gouldson, Stephen Hall, N. Kerr, Andrew Sudmant, J. Roy, S. Sarkar, A. Ghatak, D. Chakravarty, D. Ganguly on 23 Dec 2016

Fast-growing cities in the global South have an important role to play in climate change mitigation. However, city governments typically focus on more pressing socioeconomic needs, such as reducing urban poverty. To what extent can social, economic and climate objectives be aligned? Focusing on Kolkata in India, we consider the economic case for low-carbon urban […]


Exploring power and procedural justice within Climate Compatible Development design: whose priorities are being considered?

Research article by Ben Wood, Lindsay Stringer, Andy Dougill, Claire Quinn on 17 Aug 2016

Climate compatible development (CCD) is gaining traction as a conceptual framework for mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaptation within development efforts. Understanding whether and how CCD design processes reconcile different stakeholder preferences can reveal how the concept contends with patterns of sociocultural and political oppression that condition patterns of development. We, therefore, explore procedural justice […]




Appropriate time discounting in the public sector

Working paper by Michael Spackman on 15 Mar 2016

A substantial literature of social discounting has now extended over more than 50 years, but practical approaches in developed economies and international bodies continue to vary widely. This is sometimes … read more »


Heterogeneous intergenerational altruism

Working paper by Antony Millner on 17 Feb 2016

Agents exhibit pure intergenerational altruism if they care not just about the consumption utility experienced by future generations, but about their total wellbeing. If all generations are altruistic, each generation’s … read more »


The private sector in climate governance: Opportunities for climate compatible development through multilevel industry-government engagement

Research article by J. Leventon, James Van Alstine on 1 Sep 2015

Globally, the sustainable development agenda is undergoing a process of climatisation. This means that climate change mitigation and adaptation are influencing the design and delivery of development initiatives. This paper explores the extent to which climate governance influences the role and practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in development. We draw on case study evidence […]



The climate beta

Working paper by Simon Dietz, Louise Kessler, Christian Gollier on 15 Apr 2015

This paper examines the question of whether fighting climate change has the additional advantage of reducing the aggregate risk borne by future generations. This raises the question of the ‘climate beta’, i.e. the elasticity of climate damages with respect to a change in aggregate consumption. read more »