Mapping the social risks of environmental transitions
A projet led by LIEPP's Environmental policies and Socio fiscal policies research groups.
Project holder:
- Matteo Mandelli (LIEPP)
Project description:
It is becoming increasingly evident how both climate change and green transition policies will give rise to a new wave of social risk for the welfare state to address, which we hereby call eco-social risks. While the literature investigating the social-climate nexus is expanding, a widespread tendency towards normativity and conceptual-analytical fuzziness in this literature still prevents us to precisely understand both these risks and their political implications. Against this background, the research project has a twofold goal:
First, it aims to provide an empirically-applicable definition and classification of eco-social risks, thereby also identifying appropriate indicators to measure who and where these risks can be expected to impact the most.
Second, focusing on the European Union and its Member States and studying the case of the increasing risk of energy poverty, the project also aims to map and compare existing (supranational and national) eco-social policies, while also investigating the (supranational) politics behind them.
To address its various research questions, the project will employ a variety of different methods, ranging from a systematic literature review and the construction of quantitative indicators, to qualitative textual analysis of policy documents and semi-structured interviews. All in all, the proposal aspires to be one of the first in Europe to provide a comprehensive and empirically-driven map of eco-social risks and policies. The results of the study will be disseminated via academic publications and conferences, as well as by using the means of the Sustainable Welfare and Eco-social Policy Network, of which the applicant is a steering board member. Moreover, the goal would also be to feed the policy debate at the EU level with the results of the study, making use of the applicant’s solid personal network with the Brussels policy community.
