About
Tim is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. His research focuses broadly on international environmental politics and law. In particular, he studies contestation between climate change activists and obstructionists each seeking to shape the law and wield it to tip the balance of climate politics in their favor. His dissertation explores how these strategic dynamics unfold inside and outside the courtroom in both domestic and international contexts.
Tim is an inaugural Institute for Energy Solutions Graduate Fellow in 2024-2025 and his work is funded by the Climate Social Science Network based at Brown University. Previously, he served as Associate Fellow of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.
Publications:
Arvan, T. D. (2026). A chilling effect in a warming world: How the threat of SLAPPs shapes climate law. Environmental Politics. Accepted. (Link)
Stolper, S., Moore, M. R., & Arvan, T. D. (2024). The promise and peril of carbon neutrality goals. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 18(1), 88–95. (Link)
Arvan, T. D. (2024). Countering diffuse water pollution: Can post-Brexit agriculture policy go against the flow? Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, 20(1), 1–14. (Link)
Arvan, T. D. (2021). The right to a healthy environment is a powerful sword for climate justice. Health and Human Rights Journal, 23(2), 1–4. (Link)
Arvan, T. D. (2020). On the politics of a U.S. federal carbon price: Evidence from three North American case studies. Cambridge Journal of Science and Policy, 1(1), 33–38. (Link)
Cordonier Segger, M. C., Arvan, T. D., Byron, C., & Srinivas, P. (2020). The international law and policy implications of climate change litigation. In W. Kahl & M. P. Weller (Eds.), Climate change litigation – Liability and damages from a comparative perspective (pp. 166–196). Verlag C. H. Beck. (Link)
Fields of Study:
- Environmental Politics
- World Politics
- Law, Courts, and Politics
- Public Policy
