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Théodore Tallent

PhD Candidate

Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE)

Research Interest(s): Environmental Policy Comparative politics Political geography Political sociology Climate policies Individual perceptions Territorial cleavages Just transition

Biography

Théodore Tallent is a PhD student at the Center for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE) at Sciences Po since September 2022 and a teacher in political science. He previously studied at Sciences Po, as both an undergraduate and postgraduate student at the School of Public Affairs (MA in European Affairs). He also studied a year at the New York University and completed a second master's degree (MPhil in Environmental Policy) at the University. of Cambridge. Théodore is also an affiliated researcher at the Cambridge Center for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG), a research center within the University of Cambridge specializing in the governance of environmental transitions. From January to March 2024, he was a visiting researcher at the London School of Economics (LSE) and in February and March 2025, he was a visiting researcher at the University of Oxford and Nuffield College.

He regularly appears in the media to discuss ecological issues, their place in the political debate, and the way they are perceived by citizens. He also works with various stakeholders (think tanks, NGOs, policymakers), in France and at the European level, on different strategic projects to accelerate the green transition.

Research work

Theodore is interested in understanding why people think the way they do about environmental issues and climate policies. In his research, he studies climate policy support and opposition to the green transition in Europe, notably in rural and peripheral areas. To do so, he employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, leveraging the strength of both types of approaches: quantitative analyses of survey data, survey experiments and contextual data, and qualitative evidence from fieldwork (semi-structured interviews with residents of various rural territories).

publications

Scientific articles

Théodore Tallent. Green discontent along the urban-rural divide: understanding the geography of climate policy attitudes in Europe. Revise & Resubmit

Theodore Tallent, Aiora Zabala. Social equity and pluralism in Nature-based Solutions: Practitioners' perspectives on implementation. Environmental Science & Policy, 151, 2023

Chapters in edited books

Théodore Tallent (2024), The challenges of the green transition for the rural youth in France : Addressing discontent, building a just transition. In J. Gorman et al. (Eds), Youth and Democracy in the Climate Crisis (p. 182). Council of Europe Publishing. https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/youth-partnership/youth-and-democracy-in-the-climate-crisis

Original datasets

Éric Pautard; Nicolas Sauger; Luc Rouban; Maël Ginsburger; Emiliano Grossman; Malo Jan; Luis Sattelmayer; Théodore Tallent; Lucien Thabourey; Simon Audebert, 2024, "Baromètre Écologie Environnement (ELIPSS 2023)", https://doi.org/10.21410/7E4/ OH0RKI, data.sciencespo, V1. 

Work in progress

  • “More than Symbols: the Effect of Symbolic Policies on Climate Policy Support”, with M. Jan and L. Sattelmayer.
  • “Understanding Rural Resistance to the Green Transition: Putting Place in Perspective”, single author
  • “Disentangling radical vote in French cities: social media, urban inequalities and spatial heterogeneity”, with G. Risi and A. Musso.
  • “Between Concern and Discontent: How Rural Youth Navigate the Green Transition”, single author.

Policy works 

"Backlash écologique : quel discours pour rassembler autour de la transition ?", note for Fondation Jean Jaurès, 23 June 2024.

Teaching

  • 2024-2025 – “International Climate Governance”, Lecturer, Sciences Po (20h)
  • 2024-2025 - Sustainability and Spatial planning, tutor, Columbia University in Paris
  • 2023-2024 - “Comparative Politics”, seminars’ teacher (2nd year undergrads.), Sciences Po (2 x 24h)
  • 2023-2024 - Tutor of two students in apprenticeship (2nd year master’s), School of Public Affairs, Sciences Po
  • 2022-2024 - “Ecological Literacy”, Teaching assistant, core bachelor’s course (1st year undegrads), Sciences Po (16h)
  • 2022-2023 -“Introduction to political science”, seminars’ teacher (1st year undergrads), Sciences Po (2 x 24h)

Conferences and seminars

Conferences

  • European Political Science Association (EPSA) Conference, 2025: "More than Symbols: The Effect of Symbolic Policies on Climate Policy Support" and "Understanding Rural Resistance to the Green Transition:  Putting Place in Perspective"
  • Environmental Politics and Governance (EPG) Conference,2025: "Understanding Rural Resistance to the Green Transition:  Putting Place in Perspective"
  • Workshop “Elections and Climate Change”, PSA & Environmental Politics, 2025: "More than Symbols: The Effect of Symbolic Policies on Climate Policy Support"
  • American Political Science Association, 2024: "Unveiling Green Discontent in Peripheries: For a Just and Democratic Transition"
  • ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops, 2024: “The roots of green discontent in peripheral areas: making sense of citizens’ perceptions of climate policies”
  • Co-organisation of an international PhD workshop, « A Space for ‘Place’ in social sciences », CEE & Young Scholars Initiative, Sciences Po. Paris, 13 and 14 December 2023.
  • Conference ‘Research on urban-rural divides’, 2023: “Urban-rural divide in climate policy attitudes in Europe”
  • Cambridge Climate & Sustainability Forum, 2023: “The politics of climate change: a difficult path towards decarbonization”
  • European Society for Rural SociologyCongress, 2023: “The Role of Place in the Expression of Climate Political Discontent in Europe”
  • Regional Studies Association, 2023: “The urban-rural divide in climate policy attitudes in Europe: towards a geography of climate political discontent?”
  • Political Studies Association, 2023: “Spatial divides and the perceptions of climate policies: towards a new geography of (climate) political discontent?”
  • Cambridge Zero Postgraduate Academy Student Symposium, 2022: “Nature by the People: Incorporating Pluralism in the Governance of Nature-Based Solutions”

Seminars participations

  • Nuffield Comparative Political Economy seminar (University of Oxford), 2025: “More than Symbols: The Effect of Symbolic Policies on Climate Policy Support”
  • ECPR Environmental Politics seminar, 2025: “Understanding Rural Resistance to the Green Transition:  Putting Place in Perspective”
  • Environmental Politics & Governance (EPG) seminar, 2024: “More than Symbols: The Effect of Symbolic Policies on Climate Policy Support”
  • George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication, 2024: “Understanding Rural Resistance to the Green Transition: Putting Place in Perspective”
  • CEENRG seminars (University of Cambridge), 2024: “Green Discontent in the Periphery: Exploring the Multifaceted Resistance to Climate Policies”
  • Environment and Public Policy seminar (King’s College London), 2024: “Unveiling green discontent: the roots of citizens’ perceptions of climate policies in peripheral areas”
  • Cambridge Climate & Sustainability Forum, 2023: “The politics of climate change: a difficult path towards decarbonization”

Media and research blogs

Thesis topic

Spatial cleavages and citizens' perceptions of climate policies: An impediment to the success and acceptability of the low-carbon transition in Europe? under the supervision of Florence Faucher and Davide Luca