Jared J. Finnegan

Jared Finnegan studies the comparative political economy of the high-income democracies with a focus on climate change and energy policy. He is interested in how governments, firms, and voters think about and address long-term policy problems. For 2019-2020 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. From 2020-2021 he is a Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. He earned his PhD in Political Science in 2019 from the Department of Government and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His thesis, Low Carbon for the Long Term: Essays on the Comparative Political Economy of Climate Change Policy examines the role of political institutions and electoral incentives in structuring the distributional politics of long-term climate policymaking across countries. It was awarded the Virginia Walsh Dissertation Award by the Science, Technology & Environmental Politics (STEP) Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA). His work has appeared in the Socio-Economic Review.
Background
Before his doctoral studies he was a Research Analyst at the World Resources Institute. Jared holds an MRes in Political Science and MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the LSE and a BA in Latin American and Latino Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Research interests:
• Green growth
• Climate change mitigation policy
• Comparative political economy
Research
Research - 2019
This paper focuses on the role of political institutions, particularly electoral rules, and state–business relationships, to ask why some countries take strong action to address long-term problems like climate change while others do very little. Read more

Research - 2018
This paper examines the influence of electoral competitiveness on policy decisions over carbon taxes, focusing on fuel duty. Read more

This report summarises lessons from the Climate Change Act, for the UK and other countries, on how climate change legislation is best structured to be effective. Read more

Policy
Policy - 2018
10 years on from its establishment, this report assesses the role of the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in shaping UK climate policy, drawing out lessons for international and domestic policymakers. Read more

This policy brief provides a summary assessment of the role of the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in shaping UK climate policy. Read more

This policy brief is a condensed version of our report on the Climate Change Act, summarising lessons for the UK and other countries, on how climate change legislation is best structured to be effective. Read more

This report summarises lessons from the Climate Change Act, for the UK and other countries, on how climate change legislation is best structured to be effective. Read more

Events
News
News - 2018
New research into the link between political competition and fossil fuel taxation offers insight into the UK Government’s decision-making on fuel duty. Spoiler alert: it is all about electoral incentives. Read more

News - 2016
PhD candidate, Jared J. Finnegan, gives an overview of 'The economics of climate-resilient development'. This new book explores the link between adaptation to climate change and economic development Read more
