Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Patrycja Klusak

Author

Patrycja Klusak
Lecturer in Banking and Finance at University of East Anglia

Patrycja Klusak is a Lecturer in Banking and Finance at University of East Anglia and an Affiliated Researcher at Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Her research investigates the behaviour and regulation of credit ratings agencies (CRAs), and their effects on financial systems. Her work evaluates the extent to which regulations achieve their aims, or whether they lead to unintended consequences. Her research also examines the relationship between firms’ financial flexibility and their ratings, the extent of herding behaviour by CRAs, potential conflicts of interests in the CRA industry, and the effect of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics on firm ratings. Her interdisciplinary work combines climate science and environmental economics with her expertise in empirical banking and applied econometrics to investigate how climate change risks have and could affect sovereign ratings. Dr Klusak holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance and a BA in Banking and Finance from Bangor University, and an MPhil in Real Estate Finance at Cambridge University.

Content by this Author

Climate finance: poorer countries need it as a matter of urgency

Climate change will shrink the economies of rich, poor, hot and cold countries alike, and will make it more difficult and more expensive to raise the finance needed to decarbonise in the future. This column, which originally appeared on The Conversation website, argues that the cost of early action is far cheaper than the cost of delayed action. Mobilising climate finance is a win-win for both the developed and developing economies.

Rising temperatures, melting ratings

Enthusiasm for ‘greening the financial system’ is welcome, but does the explosion of ‘green’ finance indicators reflect the science? This column reports research that uses artificial intelligence to construct the world’s first ‘climate smart’ sovereign credit rating. The results warn of climate-driven downgrades as early as 2030.

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Global value chains and sustainable development

What is the role of exchange rate undervaluation in promoting participation in global value chains by firms in developing countries? What is the impact of the stringency of national environmental regulations on firms’ GVC participation? And how do firms’ political connections affect their participation in GVCs? These questions will be explored for the MENA region at a special session of the ERF annual conference, which takes place in Cairo in April 2025.

Adoption of decentralised solar energy: lessons from Palestinian households

The experience of Palestinian households offers a compelling case study of behavioural adaptation to energy poverty via solar water heater adoption. This column highlights the key barriers to solar energy adoption in terms of both the socio-economic status and dwellings of potential users. Policy-makers need to address these barriers to ensure a just and equitable transition, particularly for households in conflict-affected areas across the MENA region.

Migration, human capital and labour markets in MENA

Migration is a longstanding and integral part of the MENA region’s economic and social fabric, with profound implications for labour markets and human capital development. To harness the potential of migration for promoting economic and social development, policy-makers must aim to deliver mutual benefits for origin countries, host countries and migrants. Such a triple-win strategy requires better data, investment in return migration, skill partnerships, reduced remittance costs and sustained support for host countries.




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