Introducing and applying the Climate Institutions Analysis Framework (CIAF): A comparative analysis of climate institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Australia using the CIAF

Climate institutions - including framework legislation and advisory bodies - have proliferated globally as part of countries' responses to climate change. They have received growing attention amid a broader 'institutional turn' in the study of climate politics. We lack conceptual tools, however, to analyse these meso-level institutions and disentangle the mechanisms driving their effects on climate policymaking. To fill this gap, we develop the Climate Institutions Analysis Framework (CIAF) and use it to qualitatively analyse climate institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Australia. We demonstrate how cross-country variation in effects stems from interactions between institutions and 'intervening variables' specific to countries' contexts. Across our sample, most institutions address agenda-setting and knowledge-related strategic challenges; few deliver ex-ante accountability and none compensation. Our framework is relevant for comparative political economy analyses of meso-level political institutions, and, alongside our results, offers lessons for policymakers seeking to create or improve climate institutions.