Project description
A theory of amnesic governance for biodiversity politics
Biodiversity loss is accelerating. Despite decades of failures with market-based instruments, policymakers continue to rely on them due to amnesic governance, which erodes institutional memory and prevents learning from past mistakes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the AMNEBIOGOV project will examine the Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) initiatives. It will focus on three types of knowledge loss: participant turnover, future bias, and organisational design. It will identify the key drivers of these initiatives and assess whether past lessons are recognised or ignored. The project aims to develop a theory of amnesic governance, create a unique dataset on biodiversity credit actors, and produce influential publications.
Objective
Biodiversity loss is accelerating with severe consequences for ecosystems, economies, and societies. Policymakers increasingly turn to market-based instruments to mobilise private finance, yet four decades of experimentation have produced repeated failures. Why, then, do global biodiversity policy actors continue to rely on instruments that so consistently underperform?
AMNEBIOGOV proposes that this persistence is rooted in amnesic governance: the systematic erosion of institutional memory that prevents learning from past failures. The project examines two flagship transnational initiatives — the Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) — to investigate three dimensions of knowledge loss: (i) turnover of actors, (ii) future bias, and (iii) experimental organisational design. Using career trajectory mapping, document analysis, and interviews, it will trace who drives these initiatives, and whether past lessons are acknowledged, overlooked, or structurally forgotten — and under what conditions learning may still occur.
The project will generate a novel theory of amnesic governance, create a unique dataset on international biodiversity credit actors, and produce high-impact publications. A closed-door policy workshop and an EU-facing policy brief will translate findings into actionable recommendations, directly relevant to the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
For the researcher, the fellowship provides advanced training in mapping methods, communication, and leadership, while embedding them in the University of St. Gallen’s internationally recognised expertise in international relations. The project will strengthen EU debates on financing biodiversity protection and consolidate the researcher’s trajectory toward academic independence and leadership.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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9000 St Gallen
Switzerland
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