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International efforts to provide global public goods often face the challenges of coordinating national contributions and distributing costs equitably in the face of uncertainty, inequality, and free-riding incentives. In an experimental setting, we distribute endowments unequally among a group of people who can reach a fixed target sum through successive money contributions, knowing that if they fail, they will lose all their remaining money with 50% probability. In some treatments, we give players the option to communicate intended contributions. We find that inequality reduces the prospects of reaching the target but that communication increases success dramatically. Successful groups tend to eliminate inequality over the course of the game, with rich players signaling willingness to redistribute early on. Our results suggest that coordination-promoting institutions and early redistribution from richer to poorer nations are both decisive for the avoidance of global calamities, such as disruptive climate change.

Le phénomène de l'insuffisance de l'approvisionnement en électricité en Afrique subsaharienne (Ass) a suscité un grand intérêt au fil des ans en raison de son caractère insoluble et de son importance pour le développement ; l'Ass accueille environ 55 % des plus d'un milliard de personnes qui n'ont pas accès à l'électricité dans le monde. En outre, dans de nombreux pays d'Afrique subsaharienne, les taux d'accès à l'électricité diminuent parce que les efforts d'électrification sont plus lents que la croissance démographique. Ces dernières années, cependant, certains pays d'Afrique subsaharienne ont démontré qu'avec la volonté politique et l'accès à un financement approprié, l'accès à l'électricité peut être accéléré. On ne saurait trop insister sur les appels pressants en faveur de sources d'énergie propres (vertes) dans le bouquet énergétique. S'appuyant sur différentes disciplines, ce bulletin IDS offre de nouvelles perspectives qui vont au-delà de l'identification des obstacles au développement des énergies renouvelables en Afrique subsaharienne. Le contenu de ces contributions souligne la complexité du défi de l'électrification propre en Afrique subsaharienne ; et démontre les avantages d'une approche multidisciplinaire dans la conception des interventions. El fenómeno del suministro de energía inadecuado en el África subsahariana (SSA) ha sido un tema de gran interés a lo largo de los años debido a su naturaleza intratable y su importancia para el desarrollo; SSA alberga a alrededor del 55 por ciento de los más de mil millones de personas sin acceso a la electricidad a nivel mundial. Además, en muchos países SSA, las tasas de acceso a la electricidad están disminuyendo porque los esfuerzos de electrificación son más lentos que el crecimiento de la población. Sin embargo, en los últimos años, ciertos países SSA han demostrado que con voluntad política y acceso a financiamiento adecuado, se puede acelerar el acceso a la electricidad. No se puede exagerar la abrumadora demanda de fuentes de energía limpias (verdes) en la combinación energética. Partiendo de diferentes disciplinas, este Boletín IDS proporciona nuevas perspectivas que van más allá de la identificación de obstáculos para el desarrollo de energías renovables en SSA. El contenido de estas contribuciones subraya la complejidad que rodea el desafío de la electrificación limpia en SSA; y demuestra los beneficios de un enfoque multidisciplinario en el diseño de intervenciones. The phenomenon of inadequate power supply in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been a subject of great interest over the years because of its intractable nature and its importance for development; SSA accommodates about 55 per cent of the more than one billion people without access to electricity globally. Moreover, in many SSA countries, electricity access rates are decreasing because electrification efforts are slower than population growth. In recent years, however, certain SSA countries have demonstrated that with political will and access to appropriate finance, electricity access can be accelerated. The overwhelming calls for clean (green) energy sources into the energy mix cannot be overemphasised. Drawing from different disciplines, this IDS Bulletin provides new perspectives that go beyond the identification of obstacles to renewable energy development in SSA. The contents of these contributions underscore the complexity surrounding the clean electrification challenge in SSA; and demonstrate the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach in the design of interventions. كانت ظاهرة عدم كفاية إمدادات الطاقة في أفريقيا جنوب الصحراء الكبرى (SSA) موضوع اهتمام كبير على مر السنين بسبب طبيعتها المستعصية وأهميتها للتنمية ؛ تستوعب SSA حوالي 55 في المائة من أكثر من مليار شخص لا يحصلون على الكهرباء على مستوى العالم. علاوة على ذلك، في العديد من بلدان أفريقيا جنوب الصحراء الكبرى، تتناقص معدلات الوصول إلى الكهرباء لأن جهود الكهربة أبطأ من النمو السكاني. ومع ذلك، في السنوات الأخيرة، أظهرت بعض بلدان أفريقيا جنوب الصحراء الكبرى أنه من خلال الإرادة السياسية والوصول إلى التمويل المناسب، يمكن تسريع الوصول إلى الكهرباء. لا يمكن المبالغة في التأكيد على الدعوات الساحقة لمصادر الطاقة النظيفة (الخضراء) في مزيج الطاقة. بالاعتماد على تخصصات مختلفة، توفر نشرة IDS هذه وجهات نظر جديدة تتجاوز تحديد العقبات التي تعترض تطوير الطاقة المتجددة في أفريقيا جنوب الصحراء الكبرى. تؤكد محتويات هذه المساهمات على التعقيد المحيط بتحدي الكهربة النظيفة في أفريقيا جنوب الصحراء الكبرى ؛ وتوضح فوائد النهج متعدد التخصصات في تصميم التدخلات.

The relationship between consumption and deprivation has been explored at various scales in the literature. It would be expected that increased deprivation leads to less consumption and vice versa. However, what is the form of that relationship? Evidence from international studies using the Human Development Index (HDI) and Ecological Footprint (EF) for nation states suggest that the relationship is curved such that an increase in HDI (decrease in deprivation) is linearly associated with an increase in EF (consumption and impact on the environment) up to a point but beyond that there can be widely different values for the EF for the same value of HDI. Given that deprivation and consumption within a single country can be expected to be more homogenous than that observed between countries does this result in a linear relationship between the two variables? We tested the relationship between the Townsend Index of Deprivation (TID) and EF for English regions, using fine scale data as derived from the UK Census and the Stockholm Environment Institute respectively. The results suggest that the relationship between the EF and deprivation for most English regions is markedly linear; with the level of deprivation declining with increasing EF. The picture is remarkably consistent across most of the regions and the only region where this simple picture becomes distorted is London. The paper discusses the relevance of this finding and implications for future research.

Abstract Volatility is a key determinant of derivative prices and optimal hedge ratios. This paper examines whether there are structural breaks in commodity spot return volatility using an iterative cumulative sum of squares procedure and then uses GARCH (1,1) to model volatility during each regime. The main empirical finding is the very limited evidence of commodity volatility breaks during the recent financial crisis. This suggests commodity return volatility was not exceptionally high during the recent financial crisis compared to the 1985–2010 sample period as a whole. For many commodities there are multiple idiosyncratic breaks in volatility; this suggests commodity specific supply or demand factors are important determinants of volatility. The empirical results overall are consistent with the view that commodities are too diverse to be considered as an asset class. Finally, we find commodity volatility persistence remains very high for many commodity returns even after structural breaks are accounted for.

Following the debate on the implications of international trade for global climate policy, this paper introduces the topic of the economic benefits from trade obtained by exporting countries in relation to the emissions generated in the production of exports. In 2008, 24% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 20% of the employment around the world were linked to international trade. China “exported” 30% of emissions and hosted 37.5% of the jobs generated by trade worldwide. The European Union and the United States of America were the destination of 25% and 18.4% of the GHG emissions embodied in trade. The imports of these two regions contributed to the creation of 45% of the employment generated by international trade. This paper proposes the idea of including trade issues in international climate negotiations, taking into account not only the environmental burden generated by developed countries when displacing emissions to developing countries through their imports, but also the economic benefits of developing countries producing the goods exported to developed countries.

While scientific research supporting mitigation of further global temperature rise remains a major priority, CoP26 and CoP27 saw increased recognition of the importance of research that informs adaptation to irreversible changes in climate and the increasing threats of extreme weather events. Such work is inevitably and appropriately contextual, but efforts to generalise principles that inform local strategies for adaptation and resilience are likely crucial. Systems approaches are particularly promising in this regard. This study adopted a system dynamics framing to consider linkages between climate change and population health across four low- and middle-income country settings with a view to identifying priority inter-sectoral adaptation measures in each. On the basis of a focused literature review in each setting, we developed preliminary causal loop diagrams (CLD) addressing dynamics operating in Mozambique, Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Georgia. Participatory workshops in each setting convened technical experts from different disciplines to review and refine this causal loop analysis, and identify key drivers and leverage points for adaptation strategy. While analyses reflected the unique dynamics of each setting, common leverage points were identified across sites. These comprised: i) early warning/preparedness regarding extreme events (thus mitigating risk exposure); ii) adapted agricultural practices (to sustain food security and community livelihoods in changing environmental conditions); iii) urban planning (to strengthen the quality of housing and infrastructure and thus reduce population exposure to risks); iv) health systems resilience (to maintain access to quality healthcare for treatment of disease associated with increased risk exposure and other conditions for which access may be disrupted by extreme events); and v) social security (supporting the livelihoods of vulnerable communities and enabling their access to public services, including healthcare). System dynamics modelling methods can provide a valuable mechanism for convening actors across multiple sectors to consider the development of adaptation strategies.

Abstract This paper explores the use of fuelwood in Third World cities. The importance of fuelwood and the factors which condition its use in cities are set out and three fuelwood problems are identified: the cost to urban consumers, fuel supply security and the impact of urban fuelwood markets on rural areas. Urban fuelwood interventions are evaluated, with four categories identified: interventions in marketing, conservation, increased, wood production and fuel-switching. Of these, fuel-switching by improved supply systems and increased production from smallholders and better management of natural woodlands appear to have the greatest potential. The need for flexibility/community participation in planning is stressed.

Recent literature on the effectiveness of donor programmes points to the importance of understanding the political context within which reforms are taking place. A body of evidence is now emerging suggesting that programmes that are more flexible and iterative are often more successful in achieving their objectives than programmes that adopt a more rigid, linear approach to reform and recent experiments with projects that “think and work politically” appear to show promising results.The characteristics of the power sector makes reform intensely political in almost all countries and donor projects have sometimes failed because of an inability to navigate the local politics of reform. This paper reviews what is known about how donors have taken politics into account in designing and implementing power sector reform programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. It illustrates the challenges which donors have faced with reference to case studies of donor attempts to support power sector reform in Tanzania and in the Indian state of Orissa. The paper draws on documentary evidence from the major donors to the sector in each country as well as a set of qualitative interviews with experienced project supervisors. It concludes with a set of recommendations for further research designed to provide insights on how best to design and implement power sector reform programmes given the political context in which they are working.