Team

Team

Ruth is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the politics of public goods provision in low-income countries, from the perspectives of both governments and citizens. Her regional expertise lies primarily in East Africa. Ruth has conducted extensive fieldwork in Tanzania and has also been involved in research activities in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, and South Africa. Ruth's work has appeared in prestigious academic journals including World Development , Perspectives on Politics , Development Policy Review , Public Administration , and the Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law . In addition to her academic research, Ruth has worked on studies commissioned by UN Women, Ladysmith, USAID, Twaweza, the International Budget Partnership, the World Bank, and other practice-oriented organizations. Ruth holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.

Dr. Ruth D. Carlitz

Principal Investigator

Gabriela (Gaby) Alberola is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow with the ClimateFiGS project in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. Gaby leverages her interdisciplinary background in biology, environmental policy, and political science, combined with her roots in activism, to address pressing environmental challenges. Born and raised in Panama City, Panama, her work is driven by a deep commitment to social and environmental justice. Gaby’s research focuses on the subnational distribution of climate change funding in the Global South, analyzing its effectiveness, equity, and transparency. Her broader work delves into international environmental politics, political economy, and comparative politics, including resilience building, violence against environmental activists, and gender disparities in access to climate finance. Gaby holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Management and an MA in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an MS in Watershed Science and Policy from California State University, Monterey Bay, and a BS in Environmental Biology from the Universidad de Panamá.

Dr. Gabriela Alberola

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Wangui is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, investigating the allocation of climate finance in the Global South, as part of the ClimateFiGS project. More specifically her work will seek to understand what drives climate-related budget allocations. Wangui’s work draws on her extensive experience in carbon markets and climate finance. With an MSc in Computational Economics, Financial Markets, and Policy, and a Bachelors degree in Financial Economics, Wangui is curious about innovative methodologies in the social sciences, such as network analysis and agent-based modeling. Her curiosity is led by the need to address socioeconomic challenges through relevant policy recommendations and creative problem-solving.

Wangui Kagumba

PhD Student

Tendai is a PhD candidate conducting research on the ClimateFiGS project in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on the allocation of sub-national climate finance, with a particular emphasis on understanding the decision-making processes and power dynamics that determine climate finance distribution and the policy architecture that facilitate mitigation and adaptation in the Global South. Tendai holds a Master’s degree in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation (Natural Resources Management) and possesses substantial experience in climate policy and financing at national and continental levels. His research interests encompass the political economy of climate finance, market mechanisms, policy and conflict-sensitive approaches to climate action.

Tendai E. Kasinganeti

PhD Student

Tessa is a Master’s student in Political Economy at the University of Amsterdam. With an undergraduate background in Political Science and Economics, she decided to focus her graduate studies on the intersection of these fields, delving into the ways politics and economics influence each other, especially when it comes to tackling global challenges like climate change. Her experience in conflict research, including her long-standing involvement with the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research, has shaped her interest in the challenge of efficiently allocating climate finance to regions with low governance – a subject she seeks to explore further in her thesis while working alongside the Climate FiGS team.

Tessa Tutschka

Student Assistant

Understanding the Allocation
of Climate Finance in the Global South