Topic of the thesis: The politics of eco-social policies: addressing the social consequences of decarbonization in Spain and Ireland.

Abstract: In the framework of the 2019 European Green Deal, EU Countries have committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, hence fostering a low-carbon energy transition for their economic activities. This transition, also known as decarbonization, implies a shift in the sources of energy that are involved in production and consumption patterns, which is oriented towards cutting greenhouse-gas emissions for ecological reasons. The focus of this research in particular is on the decarbonization of the productive sectors. While the economic-ecological implications of decarbonization have been widely explored, the social-employment ones have been instead largely disregarded, even though they imply novel relevant social risks and opportunities mainly for workers of fossil fuel-intensive industries and for their communities. Eco-social transition policies precisely address these social-employment implications and they represent the main object of the present research. These public policies are explicitly designed to achieve interconnectedly both social and ecological policy goals in the context of a low-carbon energy transition. Oftentimes these policies rely on a "just transition" narrative, which aims to challenge the so-called "jobs versus environment dilemma" by ensuring that decarbonization is socially just, fair or equal both as a process and as an outcome. Just transition is the main narrative currently promoted by the European Union and by some of its Member States. Nevertheless, despite the growing saliency of the social-employment costs and opportunities arising from the transition, a comparative analysis of the National Energy and Climate Plans reveals how only few EU countries have actually adopted eco-social transition policies. Thus, it would be worth investigating what are the politico-institutional conditions that have allowed few EU countries to adopt such eco-social transition policies, while most were not doing it. This means focusing on the so-far largely underdeveloped politico-institutional dimension of these eco-social policies, in an attempt to understand how they are conceived, designed and adopted within the political process. Key in this view are both the institutional contexts that shape policymaking through norms, practices and power structures and the actors that attempt to influence policymaking in the name of their interests and through their strategic (inter)actions. This study has both descriptive-analytical and explanatory objectives. First, it aims to reconstruct policy trajectories in the eco-social transition field and to investigate relevant politico, institutional and societal actors' positions, conflicts and strategic interactions; and second it seeks to comparatively explain eco-social transition policy developments by looking at the politics behind them. It consists in a comparative historical analysis, comprising both within-case observatories and cross-case comparisons. Methodologically speaking, process tracing will be used to reconstruct politico-institutional dynamics through the use of qualitative data, mainly including relevant policy documents and semi-structured interviews with key informants. The two cases selected for the comparison are Spain and Ireland. The two Countries are usually framed as "most different systems" in comparative politics, due to their regime types - welfare and eco states, as well as varieties of capitalism - and general politico-institutional settings. Nevertheless, Spain and Ireland are also the only two EU countries besides Greece that have both i) mainstreamed social-employment objectives in their climate policies and promoted a similar conception of "just transition" and ii) set up – to deliver on the above-mentioned objectives - dedicated national eco-social transition policy strategies, instruments and/or governance mechanisms. In both countries existing measure mainly target severely-affected fossil fuel workers and local communities, i.e. those involved in peat harvesting in Ireland and coal mining in Spain. Although the two countries' eco-social transition policy trajectories have taken slightly-different directions - with Spain adopting more long-term policies with a broader scope if compared to Ireland - it would be important to understand which common conditions – if any – have led such different countries to adopt eco-social transition policies in the first place. All in all, this study aims to contribute to the emerging literature on how to reconcile welfare with planetary boundaries in the context of the ongoing low-carbon energy transition through dedicated public policies and it particularly stresses the importance of the politics behind such policies.

Research interests: Eco-social Policies – EU Policymaking & Socio-Economic Governance – Comparative Social Policy – Energy Poverty – Sustainability.

Graduated from: University of Milan.

Degrees obtained: BA in International Sciences and European Institutions – MA in Economics and Political Science.

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