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Christian Downie
Dr Christian Downie
Qualifications
B Econ (Hons I), Uni. of Sydney; PhD, ANU
Dr Christian Downie is an Associate Professor and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow (2018-2021) in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University. He was previously a Vice Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of New South Wales.
Christian has worked as a foreign policy advisor to the Australian Government’s Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and a climate policy advisor to the Department of Climate Change. Christian holds a PhD in international relations and political science from the Australian National University, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in economics.
He has spent time teaching or researching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Balsillie School of International Affairs among others, and he has worked in policy think tanks in Canberra and Washington D.C.
Christian is the author of more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters including publications in Global Environmental Politics, Energy Policy, Global Governance, International Affairs, and Third World Quarterly. His latest book, Business Battles in the U.S. Energy Sector, will be published in 2019.
For more information and list of publications visit his personal website.
Research interests
- International Relations
- Environmental Politics
Available student projects
I am always eager to hear from Masters and PhD students who have an interest in working on projects in the following areas:
- Global energy policy
- Global climate change policy
- US energy policy
- The G20
- Business actors and clean energy transitions
Please do feel free to get in contact if you would like to pursue further study in any of these areas and to see whether I would be a suitable supervisor.
However, before you do, please check your eligibility to pursue a Master of Philosophy or PhD at the ANU.

As Australia's climate plans lag on the G20 stage, experts say we can no longer ‘hide in the shadows’- Dr Christian Downie interviewed by SBS News
As Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House, Dr Christian Downie argues that Australia’s inaction on climate change an

Will Japan continue to finance international coal projects?- Dr Christian Downie writes in East Asia Forum
Dr Christian Downie and Llewelyn Hughes talk about how Japan’s support for international coal projects has been the subject

The future of oil – Dr Christian Downie interviewed by ABC Radio's AM
Dr Christian Downie was interviewed by ABC Radio’s AM about the globa

RegNet researchers awarded ARC Discovery Project grants
We are delighted to announce that RegNet’s Miranda Forsyth,

Strategies to enact a clean energy revolution
Enacting a clean energy revolution mandates overcoming political opposition from oil, gas and coal industries.

Christian Downie on Australia's role at the G20 - SBS News
RegNet Fellow Christian Downie was interviewed on SBS News on June 25, 2019, just prior to the start of the G20 Summit held in Osaka, Japan.

Christian Downie in the Financial Review on Australia's fuel reserves
RegNet Fellow Christian Downie has been quoted in the Australian Financial Review in an article on Australia’s fuel import reserves.

It’s time for Australia to scale up its energy diplomacy- Dr Christian Downie writes in the Interpreter
In this opinion piece, Christian Downie looks at the upcoming G20 Leaders’ summit and the opportunity it presents for Australia to lead the push for reform of the internat

Symposium highlights flickers of hope for tackling climate change
We are privileged to be alive at a time when we can still act to combat climate change and acting will require a transformation of systems, including transport, energy and our food systems.

Dr Christian Downie receives DECRA & AIIA Research Impact Award
Dr Christian Downie has received a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (

Congratulations to RegNet grant winners
RegNet was delighted to secure a number of grants in the recent round of awards from the Australian Research Council (ARC).

The globalisation of regulation
In this ten minute speech, Christian Downie explores how ideas about regulating people and activities spread across the globe, and not always to positive effect.

Strategies for Middle Powers- Dr Christian Downie writes in the Australian Institute of International Affairs
Dr Christian Downie writes about the upcoming G20 meeting and how middle powers such as Australia can also prompt posiitive outcomes.
Pages
Current

Business battles in the US energy sector: Lessons for a cleaner world
This project examines the role of business actors in the oil and gas industries, coal industry, utility industry and renewable industries across six contemporary policy contests that have taken place

Climate Finance Initiative
The Climate Finance Initiative, located within the world-renowned School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) in the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific, aims to p
Completed

Domestic politics and the international climate negotiations: A dynamic relationship
International multilateral negotiations are becoming longer and more complex.While the concept of a 'two level game' can be used to understand when and how domestic politics and internationa

Energy governance, energy security and climate change: Towards a low carbon economy
The current patchwork of policy frameworks for energy fall far short of what is needed to transition to a low carbon economy.

Author(s): Christian Downie
Date of publications: 2018
Publication type: Journal article

Author(s): Christian Downie
Date of publications: 2018
Publication type: Book chapter

Author(s): Christian Downie, Kyla Tienhaara
Date of publications: 2018
Publication type: Journal article