Accountability regimes and climate change financing in developing countries (Rishi Basak)

Although billions of dollars are being spent by donors on financing climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, little academic analysis has been undertaken on the accountability regimes that are associated with key global climate change financing institutions. This research seeks to gain a better understanding of such accountability regimes. 

A first case study will focus at the global level: the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which is the flagship institution responsible for mobilizing Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020. This will be achieved through a document review (i.e., content analysis of official institutional documents that describe the accountability regime), as well as key informant interviews. A theoretical approach, using agency theory, will be included as part of the research for my second paper to gain insights into the incentives at play and the role of information in the accountability relationship between the donor and recipient in climate change financing. A third paper will analyze in more detail the the role that information can play in accountability relationships - determining key normative criteria for the information required in accountability regimes. Finally, a fourth paper, also a case study, will focus on accountability information at the local level: a climate-smart agriculture project in India will be analyzed via a document review and key informant interviews. Findings from this research will help determine how accountability regimes and the information that feeds them, can influence climate change projects funded by international donors.