Governance
Communities everywhere grapple with environmental injustices that leave them without a say in the decisions that impact their lives and the natural resources on which they depend. Indigenous Peoples are losing forests that have sustained their way of life for generations. City residents don’t know if their water is safe to drink. And farmers are struggling to protect their crops from an onslaught of climate impacts – droughts, floods, fires and rising seas – that they had little hand in creating.
Governments are trying to tackle these challenges, but many lack the knowledge, capacity or funds to advance just, sustainable solutions. Progress stalls, while the need for effective solutions becomes increasingly urgent in a warming world. That’s where WRI comes in.
WRI’s Governance Center works with governments, the private sector, civil society and citizens to address issues that matter most to poor, vulnerable communities: adaptation to climate change, affordable, reliable access to clean energy, environmental rights, water and air pollution, social equity and open, responsive government. We start with analyses of voice, power and vulnerability in environmental decision-making. Who suffers and who benefits when governments enact or fail to enact an initiative? Who has a seat at the table, and who is left out? What do citizens need to shape policy, and what steps can governments take to become more inclusive, transparent and accountable to their citizens?
But improving decision-making is just the beginning. That’s why our research also concentrates on follow-through and building momentum for change – the critically important steps that officials across all levels of government must take to respond to citizens’ concerns and realize ambitious commitments, like the Paris Agreement or the Sustainable Development Goals. What are the political, economic and social dynamics that underpin success? How can governments pass effective laws, strengthen institutions to enforce them, and marshal the financial or technical resources needed implement policy? And what can leaders do to sustain political support for action across election cycles?
Using our analysis, we build citizens’ capacity to engage in the environmental decisions that impact their lives and mobilize civil society networks that drive bottom-up change. Open, accessible data platforms created in partnership with WRI, like PREPdata and LandMark, make it easier for people everywhere to understand the threats facing their communities, track governments’ response to these risks and hold officials to account. These same tools also help policymakers and corporate executives make hard choices in the face of uncertainty and rapid change. WRI supports these leaders in adopting policies that equitably address today’s most pressing environmental challenges, and we help convene high-level partnerships, like the Global Commission on Adaptation, to accelerate action.
Interested in the Center’s latest research, analysis and commentary? Subscribe to our newsletter, Greening Governance, follow us on Twitter @WRIGovernance and check out our Greening Governance Seminar Series.
Top Governance Outcomes
What's a top outcome?
Top outcomes are WRI's biggest success stories. They occur when our analysis, solutions, or partnerships result in significant change in the world.
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Featured Expert

Davida Wood
New in Governance
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Governance Projects
Governance Center Topics
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Environmental Rights
Protecting people and the planet by strengthening natural resource rights and ensuring that everyone, everywhere, has the information, voice and power to shape environmental decision-making.
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Experts
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Cosmas Ochieng
Global Director, Governance Center -
Natalie Elwell
Senior Gender Advisor -
Carole Excell
Director, Environmental Democracy Practice -
Peter Veit
Director, Land and Resource Rights Initiative -
Christina Chan
Director, Climate Resilience Practice -
Rebecca Carter
Deputy Director, Climate Resilience Practice -
Tjokorda Nirarta "Koni" Samadhi
Country Director, Indonesia -
Davida Wood
Lead, Energy Access and Governance -
Juan-Carlos Altamirano
Economist -
Nambi Appadurai
Director, Climate Resilience Practice, WRI India -
Ayesha Dinshaw
Manager, Climate Resilience, WRI India -
Bharath Jairaj
Executive Director, Energy Program, WRI India -
Celine Salcedo-La Viña
Research Associate II -
Elizabeth Moses
Environmental Rights and Justice Associate II, Environmental Democracy Practice -
Katie Reytar
Senior Research Associate, Forests Program -
Jessica Webb
Senior Manager for Global Engagement, Global Forest Watch -
Jesse Worker
Associate II, Environmental Democracy Practice -
Stefanie Tye
Research Associate, Climate Resilience -
Lily Odarno
Senior Associate, Energy Access -
Adi Pradana
Sustainable Land Use Senior Manager, WRI Indonesia -
Delfina Grinspan
Research Assistant -
Nisha Krishnan
Senior Finance Action Track Associate, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Lauretta Burke
Senior Associate -
Tyler Ferdinand
Research Analyst II -
Ayushi Trivedi
Research Analyst II, Gender and Social Equity -
Melaina Dyck
Research Intern, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Tessa Bellone
Communications & Engagement Intern, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Emma Pearlstone
Strategic Engagement Coordinator, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Emma Illick-Frank
Research Analyst, Managing Partners, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Gabrielle Rogers
Climate Resilience Practice Intern -
Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio
Action Track Co-Manager, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Natalie Winston
Project Coordinator II, Governance Center -
Parvathi Preethan
Senior Project Associate, Climate Resilience Practice, WRI India -
Tamara Coger
Senior Associate, Climate Resilience Practice -
Jonathan Cook
Senior Associate, Global Commission on Adaptation, World Resources Institute -
Carter Brandon
Senior Fellow, Global Commission on Adaptation, World Resources Institute -
Marcella Kim
Research Analyst, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Chen Chen
Economist -
Erin Gray
Associate III -
Nate Shelter
Communications Manager, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Brandon Pytel
Communications Associate, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Carolyn Turkaly
Project Specialist II -
Gianna Ferrarin
Cities and Finance Intern, Global Commission on Adaptation -
Corey Filiault
Communications Specialist II, Governance Center