Accountability regimes and climate change financing in developing countries

Samenvatting

Rishi Basak’s research aims to answer the following question: “What leads to strengthened accountability in the complex accountability webs of international climate change financing?” Although billions of dollars are being spent by donors on climate change financing via new climate change financing organizations there is still much to learn about the accountability regimes of international climate finance organizations.

To answer that question, Mr. Basak developed two theory-based frameworks and used principal-agent theory, combined with data collection via interviews and document analysis. The first framework developed integrates accountability concepts with a systematic evaluative approach of legitimacy impacts. Another framework was developed to assess information needs for climate change financing accountability regimes, based on the nature of the accountability relationship, as well as temporal considerations. Case studies are also used to analyse the enacting of accountability measures, relationships and performance information production and use in two different international climate change financing organizations (i.e., the Green Climate Fund and the CGIAR).

This thesis provides theoretical and empirical grounding to build a deeper understanding of the accountability regimes involved in international climate change financing, what leads to strengthened accountability in the complex accountability webs they form and how these webs impact the legitimacy of these organizations. With its conceptual and empirical novelty, this thesis contributes to the literature on climate finance and accountability more broadly.