ORIGINAL PAPER International energy lending: who funds fossil fuels, who funds energy access for the poor? Sung Eun Kim • Johannes Urpelainen Accepted: 2 November 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2012 Abstract Energy demand is surging in the developing world, and international organi- zations play an important role in the funding of energy projects. However, there is virtually no empirical analysis of how different organizations choose their project portfolios. This article examines the energy funding of different international organizations, with a par- ticular focus on the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC). We use data on 888 projects in 128 recipient countries funded by nine major international organizations during the years 2008–2011. Relative to other organizations, the IDA is found to invest less in fossil fuels and more in projects that improve energy access for the poorest people. The IFC emphasizes fossil fuels while downplaying the importance of energy access. Overall, fossil fuels now receive only a minority of energy funding. However, energy access is only emphasized in a tiny minority of projects. Keywords International organizations Á Energy policy Á Fossil fuels Á Clean energy Á Development assistance Á World Bank Abbreviations IFC International Finance Corporation IDA International Development Association MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development S. E. Kim Á J. Urpelainen (&) Department of Political Science, Columbia University, 420 West 118th Street, 712 International Affairs Building, New York, NY 10027, USA e-mail: ju2178@columbia.edu 123 Int Environ Agreements DOI 10.1007/s10784-012-9197-7