Excerpt
May 7, 2024, Paper: "Experts argue that resource transfers from developed to developing countries are central to international climate policy efforts. Yet as countries grapple with the political difficulties of provisioning and accepting climate funds, understanding why voters support or oppose international climate finance becomes critical. Focusing on domestic audiences in both donor and recipient countries, we investigate the determinants of public support for cross-border climate transfers. Theoretically, we focus on the effects of emphasizing the compensatory purposes of funding, highlighting mitigation over adaptation activities, and prioritizing partnerships between donor and recipient agents—three factors that generate both reputational and material benefits, and could thus trigger more positive perceptions of climate transfers. Paired survey experiments in the United States and India corroborate the relevance of these transfer features for citizens in donor and recipient countries. Taken together, our findings shed light on the domestic political economy attributes of transfer agreements that can unlock support for cross-border climate cooperation."