Bio

Sarah Thompson is a PhD candidate in Political Science at ULB. She completed a dual Master's degree in International Affairs at Sciences Po Paris, and in International Political Economy at The London School of Economics and Political Science. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a specialisation in international development, environmental, and economic issues from Simon Fraser University in Canada, during which time she completed a semester exchange at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.
Alongside her PhD, Sarah is working as the Senior Research Programme Manager for the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition at Sciences Po Paris. Prior to this role, she managed the 3-year European project CIVICA Research at Sciences Po, as well as worked with the United Nations Population Fund and on a public health research project in Vancouver, Canada.

Research presentation

Thesis title: '"Weak Goals, Powerful Effects? Assessing the effects of international climate finance goals formulated under the UNFCCC." Supervised by Romain Weikmans (REPI).

Sarah Thompson's PhD project seeks to understand the concrete effects of international climate finance goals, focusing on the US$100 billion annual goal, to better understand how seemingly "weak" (non-binding, non-legal) global policy instruments can still have significant impacts. Contributing to international relations literature on global goal-setting, the study seeks to draw lessons from the US$100 billion goal to anticipate the potential effects of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG).

Research interests

• Climate finance
• Climate governance and international climate change negotiations
• Governance through goal-setting
• International development
• Policy effectiveness
• International relations