Publications

The advent of ‘radical’ transparency: Transforming multilateral climate politics?

Aarti Gupta (2023, January)

Advances in satellite-based monitoring enable generation of ever greater volumes of novel data in ever greater detail in almost real time. This article lays out a research agenda to assess the effect of such new forms of transparency for multilateral climate politics.

Capacity building for climate transparency: neutral ‘means of implementation’ or generating political effects?

Susanne Konrad, Max van Deursen & Aarti Gupta (2021, October)

With transparency becoming ever more central to global climate governance, much attention is being devoted to building the capacity of developing countries to participate in UNFCCC transparency arrangements. We argue that rather than merely a neutral ‘means of implementation’, capacity building has the potential to influence the scope and extent of transparency generated by countries.

Assessing state compliance with multilateral climate transparency requirements: ‘Transparency Adherence Indices’ and their research and policy implications

Romain Weikmans & Aarti Gupta (2021, April)

We generate a first systematic overview here of the nature and extent of country engagement with and adherence to UNFCCC transparency requirements. Drawing on extensive primary documents, including national reports and technical expert assessments of these reports, we generate ‘Transparency Adherence Indices’ for developed and developing country Parties to the UNFCCC.

Performing accountability: face-to-face account-giving in multilateral climate transparency processes

Aarti Gupta, Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, Nila Kamil, Amy Ching & Nadia Bernaz (2021, January)

Securing accountability of states for their climate actions is a continuing challenge within multilateral climate politics. This article analyses how novel, face-to-face, account-giving processes for developing countries, referred to as ‘Facilitative Sharing of Views’, are functioning within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and what these processes help to shed light on.

Databases

Database and dashboard of CBIT Projects

Max van Deursen (2022, March)

What type of reporting capacities are being prioritized in capacity building initiatives? This database contains information about funding requests by developing countries to the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) disaggregated by four areas of reporting (greenhouse gas inventory, mitigation, adaptation, and support). More information about the database is provided in this blogpost. The database can be used freely (if cited) for future research.

Download

Database Transparency Adherence Indices

Romain Weikmans & Aarti Gupta (2021, April)

How have countries adhered to reporting requirements under the UNFCCC? This database contains information on developed and developing countries’ adherence to reporting requirements of the UNFCCC. More information about the database is provided in this blogpost.

Download

Below are selected publications by TRANSGOV team members prior to the start of the project. These publications provide context for our work and outline research gaps that we seek to fill.

Aarti Gupta, Ingrid Boas & Peter Osterveer (2020). Transparency in global sustainability governance: to what effect? Environmental Policy and Planning 22(1), 84–97. Open access.

Michael Mason (2020). Transparency, accountability and empowerment in sustainability governance: a conceptual review. Environmental Policy and Planning 21(1), 98–111.

Kyla Tienhaara (2020). Beyond accountability: alternative rationales for transparency in global trade politics. Environmental Policy and Planning 22(1),  112–124.

Angel Hsu, Amy Weinfurter, Jeffrey Tong & Yihao Xie (2020). Black and Smelly Waters: how citizen-generated transparency is addressing gaps in China’s environmental management. Environmental Policy and Planning 22(1), 138–153.

Romain Weikmans, Harro van Asselt & J. Timmons Roberts (2020). Transparency Requirements under the Paris Agreement and Their (Un)likely Impact on Strengthening the Ambition of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Climate Policy 20(4), 511–526

Harro van Asselt, Romain Weikmans & J. Timmons Roberts (2019). Pocket Guide to Transparency under the UNFCCC: 2019 Update. Oxford Climate Policy / European Capacity Building Initiative, Oxford.

Susan Park & Teresa Kramarz (2019). Global Environmental Governance and the Accountability Trap. MIT Press.

100

Sumit Prasad and Vaibhav Gupta (2019). A Capacity Building Assessment Matrix for Enhanced Transparency in Climate Reporting: An India Assessment. New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

Erika Romijn, Veronique De Sy, Martin Herold, Hannes Böttcher, Rosa Maria Roman Cuesta, Steffen Fritz, Dmitry Schepaschenko, Valerio Avitabile, David Gaveau, Louis Verchot, Christopher Martius (2018). Independent data for transparent monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions from the land use sector – What do stakeholders think and need? Environmental Science and Policy 85, 101–112.

Sarah Carter, Bas Arts, Ken E. Giller, Cinthia Soto Golcher, Kasper Kok,
Jessica de Koning, Meine van Noordwijk, Pytrik Reidsma, Mariana C. Rufino, Giulia Salvini, Louis Verchot, Eva Wollenberg & Martin Herold (2018). Climate-smart land use requires local solutions, transdisciplinary research, policy coherence and transparency. Carbon Management 9(3), 291–301.

Veronique De Sy, Martin Herold, Maria Brockhaus, Monica Di Gregorio & Robert M. Ochieng (2018). Information and policy change: Data on drivers can drive change – if used wisely. In Arild Angelsen, Christopher Martius, Veronique De Sy, Amy E. Duchelle, Anne M. Larson and Pham Thu Thuy, eds. Transforming REDD+: Lessons and new directions. p. 55–66. Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR

Aarti Gupta & Harro van Asselt (2017). Transparency in multilateral climate politics: Furthering (or distracting from) accountability? Regulation and Governance 13(1), 18–34.

Daniel R. McCarthy & Matthew Fluck (2017). The concept of transparency in International Relations: Towards a critical approach. European Journal of International Relations, 23(2), 416–440.

Aarti Gupta & Michael Mason (2016). Disclosing or obscuring? The politics of transparency in global climate governance. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 18, 82–90.

James D. Forda, Simon E. Tilleard, Lea Berrang-Forda, Malcolm Araosa, Robbert Biesbroekb, Alexandra C. Lesnikowskia, Graham K. MacDonald, Angel Hsu, Chen Chend & Livia Bizikova (2016). Big data has big potential for applications to climate change adaptation. PNAS, 113(39), 10729–10732.

Aarti Gupta & Michael Mason (2014). Transparency in Global Environmental Governance: Critical Perspectives. MIT Press.

Aarti Gupta | Guest editor (2010). Special Issue on Transparency in Global Environmental Governance, Global Environmental Politics 10(3).

Contributions from Michael Mason, Virginia Haufler, Klaus Dingwerth, Margot Eichinger, Graeme Auld, Lars H. Gulbrandsen, Ann Florini and Arthur P. J. Mol.

For blog posts related to the work of TRANSGOV, click here.

For videos of TRANSGOV members explaining their research on transparency, click here.

%d bloggers like this: