Sustainable European Welfare Societies: Assessing Linkages between Social and Environmental Policy

How can researchers and policymakers approach issues of welfare state and environmental sustainability in mutually supportive ways across policy fields?

Welfare state reform is on the political agenda in most European countries. Reforms are seen as necessary to set welfare states on a sustainable path. Yet, policymakers and analysts rarely specify fully what such sustainability entails. We usually hear that population ageing puts pressure on welfare states and social protection systems. At the same time, even though the impact of climate change on human lives and society is growing, few researchers have examined the likely implications of climate and environmental changes for the future of welfare states.

To start to fill this gap, the project asks how researchers and policymakers can approach issues of welfare state and environmental sustainability in mutually supportive ways across policy fields. A gender-balanced team of international researchers with complementary fields of expertise is responsible for the project. The composition of the team allows the main research question to be explored through a comparative lens and from different angles using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The overall objectives of the project aim to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals within no poverty, industry, innovation and infrastructure, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and partnership.

See the list of publications from the project (forskningsradet.no).