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Max van Deursen wins the best Master's Thesis Award in Social Sciences 2022
The Thesis Award of 2022 recognized four exceptional WUR master students who were nominated by their research chairgroup and rated with a 9 or higher in their thesis. Max van Deursen won the award for the social sciences domain for his thesis— Capacity Building for Climate Transparency as de facto governance—supervised by prof.dr.Aarti Gupta and Susan Konrad at the Environmental Policy group.
Capacity Building for Climate Transparency as de facto governance
Brief thesis summary
Efforts to build climate reporting capacities of developing countries have expanded since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. Both in practice and in mainstream scholarly literature these capacity building efforts have been framed as a technical and neutral means of implementation, accompanied by the assumption that enhanced reporting will translate into better climate policies. This thesis, on the contrary, argues that capacity building efforts de facto steer the type of transparency being generated by developing countries, with consequences for climate action.
Drawing on document analysis of an extensive database of capacity building project proposals as well as semi-structured interviews, this thesis highlights how capacity building initiatives targeting developing countries operate in line with political priorities of developed countries. Ultimately, this thesis highlights the need for continued critical examination of the transformative potential of transparency in multilateral climate governance.
Why is this thesis outstanding?
The Jury Report for Max's thesis reads as follows— “You wrote a remarkable thesis about how developing countries are being supported to report on their climate actions through internationally funded ‘capacity building’ initiatives under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Now, one may think that first there is governance for example on the climate issue and second, as a consequence of that, there is capacity building in other to report on the efforts and results. No matter how logical this may sound, you put forward the completely opposite hypothesis, which is that the capacity for climate transparency triggers governmental actions aimed at mitigating the climate problem. This took the jury by surprise. We could not imagine that it worked like that. But after your impressive research effort your confirmed your counterintuitive hypothesis, and you convinced the jury as well. Apart from the originality of your thesis, the jury was especially impressed by the huge data base that you collected and the way you analysed it.”
Behind the scenes of an extraordinary achievement
The award ceremony for the 2022 Thesis Award took place on June 19th, 2023. Unfortunately, Max was not able to recieve his award in person as he was in India on field work for his PhD studies. Upon Max's request, his supervisor, Prof.dr. Aarti Gupta, recieved his award on his behalf. In order to share his gratitude for all those who were apart of his research journey behind the scenes, Max shared a written letter of appreciation (see right).
Original and relevant research
"The originality of Max's thesis lies both in the innovative conceptual lens that the student co-developed and self-adapted to conduct this analysis, and in the novel empirical insights generated through an extensive and thorough analysis of a large body of primary data. The conceptual lens unpacked how capacity buildinginitiatives are not merely a technical intervention but instead de facto steer climate actions within developing countries. This was a very effective lens through which to shed light on the effects of the unequal power dynamics that shape capacity building initiatives and global climate action, a subject that is otherwise notoriously hard to operationalize and study."
Prof.dr. Aarti Gupta
Thesis Supervisor
A Letter of Appreciation from Max
"In undertaking the task of writing this thesis, I have received invaluable assistance from numerous individuals and institutions. Although time constraints prevent me from acknowledging everyone, I want to express my deepest gratitude to three individuals who have made significant contributions.
First and foremost, I cannot emphasize enough my profound gratitude to Professor Aarti Gupta. It was through her exceptional mentorship that I had the privilege of exploring the captivating field of transparency in climate governance. I am honored to continue to have the opportunity to work alongside her in my current role as her PhD student.
I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Susanne Konrad, the co-supervisor of my thesis. Her practical expertise and extensive network have greatly contributed to the empirical research conducted for this thesis.
Last but certainly not least, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my partner, Martine de Zoeten, for her unwavering support throughout this endeavor.
In conclusion, I extend my warmest wishes to all of you for a celebratory ceremony today."