About the Knowledge Community
The climate crisis is not only an ecological catastrophe, but also is bound to generate a new wave of social risks disproportionally affecting certain groups in society and threaten the already fragile foundations of European welfare states. Furthermore, the welfare state itself carries a considerable ecological footprint, as it has been designed to support the unsustainable capitalist economic model by encouraging consumption growth through social expenditure (Corlet Walker et al., 2021).
Against this background, we argue that the notion of sustainable welfare beyond growth is a favourable alternative to the current just transition paradigm, which is frequently deemed as inadequate. Sustainable welfare aims to guarantee well-being within planetary boundaries by moving away from the imperative of endless consumption and production growth through eco-social policies. These transformative policies seek to green the welfare state to reduce its ecological footprint. They also foster a ‘non-productivist’ approach to social protection, ensuring that investments respect planetary boundaries and are complemented with more passive measures, such as minimum income schemes or social vouchers.
While many studies focus on justifying the desirability and economic attainability of sustainable welfare, much less is known about its political feasibility, and therefore, about the institutional and political conditions that are needed to implement a socio-ecological transformation. This Knowledge Community aims to develop a toolkit of political actions for sustainable welfare, identifying institutions, ideas and interests that can drive or hinder the adoption of post-growth eco-social policies. Our ultimate aim is to elaborate a political strategy that could turn sustainable welfare from a theoretical ideal to a politically successful reality.
Expert
- Matteo Mandelli, Postdoctoral Fellow at Sciences Po Paris
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For further information, send an email to taube.vanmelkebeke@gef.eu!
