Project description
Redefining accountability for climate action
Achieving climate neutrality in cities requires more than ambitious CO2 targets. It demands accountability systems that drive real progress. Traditional approaches, however, rely on static indicators, failing to provide the flexibility needed for continuous learning and adaptation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TRANSACT project seeks to transform accountability by introducing dynamic processes that enhance transparency, coordination, and effectiveness. By analysing accountability mechanisms across cities, TRANSACT identifies best practices and gaps. The project will develop policy recommendations, an open-source sustainability dashboard, and new protocols to support system-wide innovation. This approach ensures cities can not only measure progress but also adjust strategies in real time, fostering meaningful climate action.
Objective
Cities and urban agglomerations have set ambitious CO2 targets that necessitate a sustainable transition over the coming decade. Recently, the Commission announced a mission to make 100 cities Climate neutral by 2030, creating climate contracts to achieve these ambitious targets. To be held accountable to their climate contracts, local policymakers need new accountability processes that not only statically measure their progress, but are designed to dynamically provide learning, legitimacy and direction. The research objective of TRANSACT is to open the black box of accountability systems in order to re-conceptualize accountability to ensure transparency, coordination, learning and effectiveness. Traditional accountability systems are static and based on pre-defined indicators and scientific investigations are limited to the study of assessment and sanctioning mechanisms or avoiding the practice of accountability altogether, ignoring horizontal accountability and learning needed to organize a sustainable transition. Combining interdisciplinary knowledge from Urban Climate Governance, Public Management with practitioner experience the first aim of TRANSACT is to re-conceptualize the dimensions of dynamic accountability processes. Leveraging these dimensions to conduct a large-scale survey aimed at mapping various accountability systems across cities empirically, TRANSACT uncovers how accountability systems are positioned to tackle the climate crisis. Finally, in collaboration with Climate-KIC during my placement/secondment, this project will develop actionable policy papers, and a set of protocols and an open source sustainability dashboard, to identify the accountability capacities needed to realize system innovation. The mixed methods approach will ensure that different cities, with their inherent diversity in socio- demographic features, level of resources, and governance systems, can learn from each other in the pursuit of their common CO2 targets.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2000 FREDERIKSBERG
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.