CPB Project Internship: ‘The Impact of Climate Change on Long-Term Government Finances’

What Will You Do as an Intern in the Public Finance Program?

The goal of this project is to make an initial assessment of the impact of climate change on long-term government finances. To achieve this, you will use an analytical (Excel) tool developed within the OECD framework. This will require gathering data, such as the costs of making the built environment more sustainable. While much of this data will be available at CPB or institutions like the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), in many cases, well-founded estimates will need to be made. Additionally, broader economic effects of climate change, such as its impact on economic growth, need to be assessed. Various institutions, including the IMF and NGFS, have already conducted model analyses on this topic, but their results must be understood and interpreted. This project will identify and partially address significant uncertainties.

The objective is to write a report, in Dutch or English, providing an initial assessment of the impact of climate change on government finances. The structure of the report will include: (i) a summary of the necessary data sources, (ii) an initial estimate of the impact on government finances using the OECD tool,. (iii) an evaluation of topics with significant uncertainty, such as the effect of climate change on economic growth (in the Netherlands and beyond) and so-called tipping points.  Your findings will serve as input for future CPB studies and may be shared with the OECD for example. 

Our estimation is that this assignment will not be sufficient for a thesis, the internship is meant for you to gain working experience.

Who Are You?

We are looking for an MSc student with an interest in economics, policy, and the consequences of climate change. You should be able to gain an overview of various climate studies and extract the key economic insights. You can easily engage with policymakers and researchers to gain access to relevant studies and new insights. You should also be capable of merging policy documents and economic model results into a quantitative estimate of climate change’s impact on government finances. This requires creativity and strong analytical skills. Your work must be precise and transparent so that others can build on it.

Questions?

For any questions about the internship, you can contact the supervisors:

• Joep Tijm j.tijm@cpb.nl
• Luuk Metselaar l.metselaar@cpb.nl

Internship Duration and Compensation

The internship lasts 4-6 months (to be agreed upon).

As an intern, you will receive a monthly fee of 775 Euro gross for a full-time (40-hour) workweek. There is also a possibility of a travel allowance and partial remote work.

If you are interested in this internship, please use https://cpb.onlinevacatures.nl/job/343798/apply to submit your motivation letter. Additionally, we ask you to provide your CV and a recent transcript of grades, no later than March 28, 2025.