The Ten Most Pressing Gaps in Research on Environmental Policy:

A Global Research Planning Competition

The Yale MacMillan Center

Sponsored by The Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund

Co-hosted by
Benjamin Cashore
benjamin.cashore@yale.edu

Detlef F. Sprinz
dsp@pik-potsdam.de

at the MacMillan Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

6-8 Sept. 2019

Goals
This competition will address up to ten of the most pressing substantive research
questions that remain unresolved or under-researched in the field of environmental
policy across the social sciences. Looking at the next generation of scholarship, this
competition for excellence will have formative influence on a generation of graduate
students, senior scholars, and practitioners to embark on overarching environmental
policy challenges.

Potential Topics
There are no limitations on which topics may be proposed—they should qualify as
major, yet hitherto unresolved or under-researched environmental policy challenges.
Both basic and applied research as well as practitioners are invited to apply. Ideally,
the research we wish to stimulate has also a bearing on practical policy and strategy
development by relevant stakeholders in the environmental politics and policy fields.

To represent the flavor of challenge, we offer a few suggestive examples, but

remain open to any other major environmental policy challenges:
▪ politically plausible path-dependent policy triggers for reaching the 1.5-2°C
change goal on climate policy,
▪ solving the trilemma of universal participation in multilateral agreements,
demanding obligations, and strong compliance,
▪ sharply reducing and reverting deforestation and forest degradation at a large
scale,
▪ substantially reducing the trend towards species extinction,
▪ universal notions of environmental equity that are practically acceptable,
▪ feasibility of long-term environmental policy in view of electoral pressures, and
▪ depletion of marine ecosystems in view of rising demand for fish as a source of
proteins.
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Time Line

Call Opens: 08 May 2019

Application Deadline: 23 June 2019
Decisions announced by mid-July 2019
Draft research proposal due: 30 Aug. 2019
Workshop: 6-8 Sept. 2019
Method of application: email to evelin.toth@yale.edu with formatted attachment and
“Yale Kempf Memorial Fund Application” in subject line

Application Form:
Page 1
Title
Authors
Abstract (50-100 words)
Extended Abstract (300 words maximum)

Please note that exceeding the word limit leads to removal from the competition.

Page 2
Name of lead applicant, address, email, phone
All other co-applicants
Bibliographic references, if applicable
Financial needs: specify, if applicable

Each of the up to ten finalists will present a 10-page research application at the
workshop. Each proposal will be presented for 30 minutes, receives constructive
advice from two dedicated discussants, and then opens for discussion among the
workshop participants. In total, we will devote 1.5 h to each proposal during the
workshop, taking turns as discussants. We expect finalists to approach funding
agencies (such as NSF, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the MacArthur
Foundation, The Research Council of Norway, Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller
Foundation, etc.) following participation in the MacMillan workshop.

Funding
Limited funding for economy class tickets (carbon-frugal travel arrangements
appreciated) distributed on request and based on need.

Contacts: Evelin Toth evelin.toth@yale.edu; Professors Benjamin Cashore

(Benjamin.cashore@yale.edu) and Detlef Sprinz (dsp@pik-potsdam.de)