Project properties
Title The Talanoa Dialogue – Learning for higher climate ambition?
Group Public Administration and Policy
Project type thesis
Credits 12
Supervisor(s) Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen
Examiner(s) Katrien Termeer
Contact info sylvia.karlsson-vinkhuyzen@wur.nl
Begin date 2018/02/12
End date 2018/12/31
Description The historic Paris Agreement (PA) provided a significant step in the efforts to establish a multilateral rule-based system to address climate change and it has over 170 parties. But the Paris Agreement is built on that every country takes courageous decisions for reducing their own emissions and for developed countries to provide financing that helps others to do so and so far those decisions do not measure up to meet the target. There is no way for the agreement to ‘force’ countries to do more – but it has built in design elements that are intended to encourage countries to do so. A ‘global stocktake’ will take place every five years to assess ‘collective progress towards achieving the purpose…and its long-term goal’ and the results ‘shall inform parties in updating and enhancing their actions and support’. In 2018 there will be a ‘practice run’ of this global stocktake called the Talanoa Dialogue – named after a Fijian traditional practice of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue where stories are shared to build empathy and trust. The purpose of the Dialogue is to result in “better decision-making for the collective good”. As of January 2018 states and other stakeholders at all levels are invited to submit stories etc. to an online platform – and in December it will end with a political dialogue among ministers at COP24 in Poland.

This thesis project would study the Talanoa Dialogue as it unfolds and analyse its process in light of relevant theories of policy and social learning, facilitative accountability etc. There are many questions that could serve as the focus such as: If and how can/could the Dialogue actually lead to policy changes at national level. What are the mechanisms? What are the flaws in the process making reaching the objective fail – if it does?

The work could include field work at climate meetings in Bonn in May 2018 and/or Katowice in December 2018 – but these have to be self-financed.
Used skills Research skills in the field of political science, public administration etc. Document analysis, interview skills, analytical ability.
Requirements General requirements for writing a thesis with PAP, particularly well suited are MID students from the politics and governance and sustainability diplomacy tracks.

Start: as soon as possible
End date: flexible