Jochen Hinkel is an institutional economist, heading the department of Adaptation and Social Learning at the Global Climate Forum (GCF) and teaching as an external professor (Privatdozent) at the Division of Resource Economics at the Thaer-Institute at Humboldt University in Berlin. His research focuses on decision making, policy making and governance in face of climate risks and associated societal transformations from the following two complementary perspectives:
From a prescriptive or normative perspective, he applies economic, robust and financial decision theory, together with state-of-the-art climate impact models, in order to co-develop, together with stakeholders, desirable, efficient and robust adaptation strategies. This operates at all scales, from local city-level case studies (e.g., German Baltic Sea Cities) to continental (e.g., Europe) and global scale analysis (e.g., PROTECT project, Global Coastal Model Intercomparison Project). In this context, Hinkel leads the development of the DIVA model, an integrated global model for assessing sea-level rise impacts and adaptation related to coastal erosion, flooding, wetland change and human displacement, which has been applied widely for economic assessments of sea-level rise.
From a descriptive and explanatory perspective, he applies frameworks of institutional economics and political sciences in in-depth local case studies in order to gain a deep understanding of current formal and informal adaptation governance arrangements, as well as the drivers of institutional and policy change and performance. Current research covers the governance of coastal adaptation in Germany, in the Maldives and in nature-based solution around Europe. A special focus thereby lies on adaptation funding and finance, in particular on the extent to which it is possible to foster investment in adaptation projects and equitable outcomes through fit-for-purpose blended finance arrangements.
Hinkel has contributed as a Lead Author on coastal risk, adaptation and governance to the last two Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) and currently co-leads work on coastal decision making in the United Nation’s World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).
Role: Department Head, Professor
Field of Research: Climate risk decision-making, policy making and governance
Areas of Expertise: Institutional economics, financial decision theory, climate impact models and political sciences