News

NWO Grant for Research on Distributive Effects of Global Environmental Governance

Markets may be effective in solving environmental problems – but are their outcomes also fair?

Prof. Dr. Frank Biermann (IVM department Environmental Policy Analysis) has been awarded an Open Competition grant by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The project “Markets as Solution to Transnational Public Policy Problems? An Analysis of the Problem-solving and Distributive Effects of Market-based Governance Mechanisms” will receive a grant of 208,000 euros. It will be conducted in close collaboartion with the international research programme “Earth System Governance Project”.

Distributive effects of global environmental governance
In many areas of international environmental policy, the creation of international markets has been strongly promoted. Examples include global emission trading, voluntary carbon markets, regional markets in fishing rights, or the financial and tradable compensation for the non-use of natural resources and the protection of forests. Professor Frank Biermann and PhD student Eleni Dellas and will now study whether, and how, transnational market-based governance mechanisms can help address global environmental challenges, such as global warming. Their research will not only look at the effectiveness of market-based governance, but also at the distributive effects. Markets may be effective in solving environmental problems – but are their outcomes also fair?