Collective Action to Avoid Catastrophe: When Countries Succeed, When they Fail, and Why
May 2016
Global Policy
Scott Barrett
Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics
Personal Details
Focus areas: International cooperation, global public goods, climate change, ocean governance, infectious diseases
Scott Barrett is a leading scholar on transnational and global challenges, ranging from climate change to disease eradication. His research focuses on how institutions like customary law and treaties can be used to promote international cooperation.
He has advised a number of international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, and the International Task Force on Global Public Goods. He was previously a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a member of the Academic Panel to the Department of Environment in the UK.
Barrett previously taught at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., where he also directed the International Policy program. Before that, he was on the faculty of the London Business School. He has also held visiting positions at Yale, Princeton, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, and École Polytechnique.
Barrett is a research fellow with the Beijer Institute (Stockholm), CESifo (Munich), and the Kiel Institute of World Economics.
Education
- PhD in Economics, London School of Economics
Honors and Awards
- Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin, September-December 2016
- Publication of Enduring Quality Award, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, ("for publications based on their seminal nature and enduring value"), June 2016
- Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Bath (UK), October 2016
- Erik Kempe Award (European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists), 1996
- Resources for the Future Dissertation Prize, 1990
Research And Publications
Jul 2014
Nature Climate Change
Jun 2013
The Royal Society B
Rethinking Global Climate Change Governance
Oct 2009
Economics: The Open Assessment, Open Access E-Journal
Making the Decision
Oct 2009
Shrinking the Malaria Map: A Prospectus on Malaria Elimination
In The Media
Whether countries will follow through on the commitments made at the Glasgow climate talks is uncertain. “The incentive is to hold back, because each country represents just a small part of the total progress needed,” says Scott Barrett.
Nov 22 2021
The Boston Globe
Whether or not countries will follow through on their commitments is uncertain. “The incentive is to hold back, because each country represents just a small part of the total progress needed,” says Scott Barrett.
Nov 22 2021
The Boston Globe
Climate & Sustainable Development
A look at SIPA’s past, and future, at the intersection of policy and the environment.
Sep 19 2021
We need global collaboration, coordination, and cooperation in order to address the interlocking threats of a pandemic and environmental crises, says Scott Barrett.
Aug 30 2021
The New Republic
Scott Barrett argues that the accord, which depends on collective action, does not include the kinds of incentives and penalties that would ensure that countries do their part.
Jul 27 2021
Inside Climate News