The Resilience and Adaptation Mainstreaming Program (RAMP) convened its third online teacher training course on Program Design: Economic and Financial Appraisal
The Resilience and Adaptation Mainstreaming Program (RAMP) recently convened its third online teacher training course on Program Design: Economic and Financial Appraisal for climate-resilient public investment, strengthening the capacity of university partners to deliver high-quality practitioner training to ministries of finance, planning and economics across the Global South.
Held on 21 and 28 January and 4 and 11 February, and delivered by Dr Harald Heubaum, the course brought together 32 participants from across the RAMP University Network for an intensive and interactive programme. The training focused on equipping participants with the knowledge, methods and pedagogical tools required to co-deliver the material to ministries of finance, planning and economics.
The course trained participants to teach the core frameworks and methods used to support evidence-based program design and economic appraisal as part of the public investment cycle. Participants engaged with cost-benefit analysis (CBA), multi-criteria analysis (MCA), cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), and detailed approaches to cost estimation. The training also covered ecosystem service frameworks, non-market valuation methods, and natural capital accounting. Practical examples drawn from climate adaptation and environmental management were used to demonstrate how appraisal methods can inform decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, multiple objectives, and complex environmental impacts.
The course highlighted the importance of distinguishing between financial appraisal (focused on private costs and returns) and economic appraisal (a broader approach which incorporates social costs and benefits, including environmental externalities). Participants explored how appraisal tools can support project design, selection among alternative investments, risk assessment, and implementation monitoring. Emphasis was placed on the relevance of appraisal methods to public investment management systems, ensuring that climate and resilience considerations are systematically integrated into programme design, while also acknowledging the challenges in appraising effectively given data gaps.
The RAMP teacher training approach supports progressive skill development through continued engagement, further training sessions, and, finally, in-person co-delivery. This model ensures that university partners can adapt materials to national contexts over time while also building on established international best practice.
The teacher training on economic and financial appraisal is a core component of RAMP’s broader strategy to strengthen long-term institutional capacity in universities and central ministries responsible for financing and implementing climate adaptation. By building expertise in appraisal methodologies, RAMP supports governments in designing public investments that maximise social welfare, incorporate environmental and resilience benefits, and allocate scarce resources more effectively in the face of climate risks.
Header image credit: Kenny Eliason via Unsplash.
