PhD Studentship: From Global Promise to Local Impact: Evaluating Climate Funding at the Local Level
MASTS
Qualification Type: PhD
Location: Colchester
Funding for: UK Students, Self-funded Students
Funding amount: Living costs stipend at the UK Research and Innovation recommended level per year. The stipend for 2024-25 is £19,237. The rate for 2025-26 TBA.
Hours: Full Time
Placed On: 21st November 2024
Closes: 7th February 2025
Reference: 11359 Business_Law October 2025
Project Overview
This is an opportunity to conduct fully funded interdisciplinary research under the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’ at the University of Essex. The project will focus on the exploration of solutions to aspects of ‘loss and damage’ climate funding at the local level. Supervision for this project will be led by Essex Business School with secondary supervision from Essex Law School.
The efforts to establish ‘loss and damage’ climate funding to aid countries impacted by climate disasters underscore the need for collective approaches to transform financial institutions and governmental practices to ensure that support meets local needs. Structural challenges such as resource distribution, access to finance, corruption, multilevel governance systems and participation in decision-making can all complicate ‘loss and damage’ implementation for disadvantaged or vulnerable communities at the local level.
More specifically the study is required to consider the component factors that contribute to the facilitation of ‘loss and damage’ support for local communities in developing countries. This can include the sources of finance and support and their adequacy, the governance systems that facilitate the distribution of that finance and support, the governance mechanisms associated with that distribution process, and the accountability of actors at all levels. The study is required of the extent to which existing systems are effective and how they can be improved or redesigned.
Interdisciplinary Focus and Methods
This interdisciplinary project combines governance, accountability, and legal frameworks to ensure effective local outcomes for ‘loss and damage’ climate funding. By integrating social sciences and law, it comprehensively assesses economic, environmental, and social impacts. Direct community engagement provides critical insights, while methods such as stakeholder analysis, case studies, and policy reviews enable the design of resilient strategies, making climate funding more responsive to the needs of impacted communities.
Person Specification
This opportunity would suit a candidate with a Masters level education that incorporated governance and/or development and/or accountability. The candidate should have an interest in law although a prior legal education is not a requirement as training will be provided. The successful candidate will be interested in developing solutions to the barriers in achieving ‘loss and damage’ finance at the local levels.