Roundtable: Towards a welfare state fit for a circular zero-carbon economy

Abstract

Until recently social welfare systems in Europe were disconnected from ecological concerns and policies. The objectives, instruments and actors concerned in each were largely different. Environmental and climate science on the one hand, the analysis and theoretical foundations of social welfare systems on the other, have emerged and developed in isolated silos. All these aspects and dimensions contribute to the emergence of a variety of approaches and strategies to implement just transition towards an inclusive zero-carbon economy in a given socio-economic environment. We face the often raised trilemma: is there a trade-off between economic, ecological and social objectives and under what conditions and through what policies these can be aligned? It is not an exaggeration to say that the concept of the welfare state that has developed in the last century needs to be fundamentally re-constructed. One key question is to what extent the established welfare state models are conditional on growth, material and energy use (distribution of a growing cake) and how a post-growth welfare model could look like? The 2019 World Development Report of the World Bank calls for a `new social contract` that would also include elements of social protection. The increased risks encountered in the changing nature of work that have been further amplified by the effects of the pandemic call for adjustments to worker protection. The European Green Deal also offers the opportunity for a new social contract taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals and the priorities of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The recognition that all these areas are interlinked is gradually taking the upper hand. Environmental policies have important social impacts and social and welfare policies have environmental impacts and could mitigate the costs of environmental societal transformation. In this respect a joint analysis of the challenges and consequences of new developments and policies concerning both areas is very much needed. The aim of this Roundtable to create a vibrant debate between different scholar communities and establish a research agenda on the interrelations of ecological and social policies following an integrative approach. The ultimate objective is to open the way towards establishing a new welfare policy framework that is matched to the challenges of the XXI. century, above all the transformation to a zero-carbon economy and technological change with its often disrupting effects on the world of work, such as the new contours of a post-Pandemic society where the role of the state is more pronounced. The Roundtable will discuss critical and fundamental questions in an integrated climate/welfare policy context. Questions to be raised include: What impact a no-growth or low-growth economy would have on financing social policies and the pension systems? How to envisage the connections between health policies and climate change? Is it possible to envisage a ‘climate income’ similar to a minimum or basic income? The Roundtable will bring together experts from different scholar communities to discuss and develop concepts on practices for an integrated socio-ecological policy framework.