Inhwan Ko
Alum | Political Science / Ph.D. student
My research interest is how local and global politics and policy-making processes interact with each other, particularly in climate and environmental issue areas. For instance, I examine how the level of rural-urban divide (e.g., economic inequality between rural and urban areas) within each country affects renewable energy development, and hence the extent to which governments can comply with their net-zero emission targets. Conversely, I study how membership in climate clubs, a group of government and non-government actors which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond what existing institutions and policies (e.g., Nationally Determined Contributions) would require them to, affect governments' policy-making in renewable energy investment. I believe our scientific knowledge and technological means to cope with climate crisis cannot be fully transformed into meaningful actions, if politics do not engage with them. Therefore, my research focuses on what political constraints hinder climate actions and under what conditions they can be mitigated (or reinforced).