Research project Political and distributive consequences of the de-carbonized welfare state
This project analyzes how distributional effects of de-carbonizing policies are moderated by redistributive social policies, and how this in turn affects the support of incumbent governments. The project generates new knowledge on how countries can develop socially sustainable de-carbonizing policies.
Many environmental policies currently being enacted to slow climate change have distributive – and thereby political implications. Policy instruments such as carbon taxes and fees tend to be regressive, as they weigh more heavily on the poor who spend a larger share of their budgets on energy. Without a redistributive social agenda, countries may be caught in a vicious cycle of green policy adjustments, increased inequalities, and an erosion of political support.
We develop a new methodology for estimating individual-level distributional effects of environmental policies in countries with different social policy systems, and a novel analytical approach for estimating the effects on political support using a combination of policy and poll-of-polls data.
Project members
Project managers
Kenneth Tommy Nelson
Professor
Members
Andreas Duit
Professor
