PhD Candidate: Safeguarding Trust in Climate Change Mitigation Projects in Ghana

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: 17 Sep 2021

Transnational climate change mitigation projects (TCCMPs) form part of the wider Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, span across multiple levels of governance (international, national, regional, local), and involve a broad range of actors with different worldviews and sometimes contradictory interests. The resulting tensions are aggravated by highly unequal power relationships. In terms of environmental justice, climate mitigation projects often lead to asymmetric (economic, social, cultural and environmental) outcomes and are moreover accused of neglecting local values and norms. To remedy these problems, internationally agreed safeguard protocols have been adopted for the governance of TCCMPs. As of yet, however, little is known about whether these safeguards contribute to environmental distributive justice. 

In this PhD project called 'Safeguarding Trust? The Transnational Governance of Climate Change Mitigation Projects in Ghana' you will investigate whether TCCMP safeguards foster mutual trust and thereby facilitate the recognition of local values, ensure equal co-determination rights, and contribute to an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens. You will analyse local TCCMP projects in their multi-level governance setting, including local, sub-national, national and international levels. The empirical focus will be on Ghana as a case study country that not only has become a major target country for TCCMPs but also aspires to abandon foreign aid as part of its sustainable development strategy. You will conduct multi-sited fieldwork combining ethnographic research and participatory observation at international organisations and in the donor country.

The project aims to deliver novel empirical and conceptual insights into the impact of multi-level governance architectures on environmental justice. Understanding these processes will improve the alignment of climate mitigation projects with the SDGs and allow policy-makers and practitioners to adjust the institutional design of transnational climate change mitigation projects.

In addition to research, you will teach courses at the Geography, Planning and Environment (GPE) department and the Political Science department.



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