Articel Content
Public opinion and climate change
Since climate change does not stop at borders, international political measures are needed to combat it effectively. While this conclusion is inevitable, it raises questions about democratic legitimacy: who decides climate policies and who is affected by the consequences? Relevant decisions tend to be made by countries with economic clout, while their impact is felt especially by poorer nations.
Economist Aya Kachi examines how the economic repercussions of climate policies impact people’s lives. To this end, she uses statistical methods that she has developed herself, in particular for survival analysis (which examines the amount of time until a specific event) and spatial econometrics (which is concerned with geographic differentials). As part of her doctoral research, she also investigated key factors in the creation and demise of democratic systems.
The 36-year-old Japanese national has now been appointed assistant professor at the Competence Center for Research in Energy, Society and Transition (CREST). Run from Basel and co-funded by the Swiss government, CREST is developing a scientific basis for Switzerland’s future energy strategy. Aya Kachi studied economics at the University of Tokyo and Duke University before obtaining her doctorate from the University of Illinois. Most recently, she was a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, working with Professor Thomas Bernauer. She has received several international accolades for her research.