A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance

The document argues that technical capacity and economic wealth are insufficient to ensure ambitious climate action, as 'political will' is often obstructed by vested interests. It proposes a systematic assessment of political and institutional contexts, ideologies, and narratives to help stakeholders build political power and develop strategies for enacting durable, ambitious policies. The guide specifically addresses the needs of multi-sector national coalitions facing challenges in cross-sector coordination, accountability systems, and policy monitoring.

• High-income countries with access to technology and policy expertise often fail to implement ambitious climate policies due to a lack of political will, which is frequently driven by the influence of vested interests.
• A systematic analysis of institutional contexts, dominant narratives, and ideologies is more effective for developing political strategies to increase ambition than superficial analyses of political will.
• Effective climate governance assessments must analyze the rules, structures, and capacities that shape actor interactions, specifically considering the economic interests, incentives, and relationships that motivate actions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance. https://www.wri.org/research/guide-assessing-political-economy-domestic-climate-change-governance

Chicago

World Resources Institute. A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/guide-assessing-political-economy-domestic-climate-change-governance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance |url=https://www.wri.org/research/guide-assessing-political-economy-domestic-climate-change-governance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendguide, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/guide-assessing-political-economy-domestic-climate-change-governance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }