Topics on concepts, justice and markets
Topic 1. Conceptual mapping of new socio-ecological ideas
Frequently new concepts are introduced in scientific and policy discussions, often used in a context broader than their initial field of application. Such broad concepts are easily used in policy contexts to allow for connections between different perspectives, discourses and stakeholders (e.g. sustainable development). While politically attractive, such new and/or broad concepts may create conceptual confusion, and discourses from different actors might refer to different meanings. Therefore, we need a better understanding of such concepts, through conceptual analysis, by mapping and comparing different uses and discourses, and by linking it to its broader context (historical, political).
Central in this type of research will be a systematic literature review, combined with expert interviews and document (discourse) analysis, in order to provide a conceptual mapping of the current state of the art of the debate on a particular concept.
Non-exhaustive list of examples (all cases need to be discussed in advance to see whether suitable for thesis)
- New socio-ecological paradigms: degrowth, resilience, commons, etc.
- New topics in field of conservation science: compassionate conservation, inclusive conservation, more-than-human participatory research, etc.
Topic 2. Applied fields in environmental justice: water justice, energy justice, etc.
Environmental justice is increasingly considered in environmental governance studies. Moreover, environmental justice studies can now be found in several subfield of environmental governance, such as climate, water, energy, waste, etc. Here, we are interested in examining these emerging subfields, such as water or energy justice. First, one needs to examine what the debate is about, which requires conceptual (and historical) analysis, combined with (systematic) literature review (and expert interviews). Second, we want to examine how it is currently relevant for a particular regions/countries or cases, for which interviews and existing descriptive data can be used (e.g. comparing distribution environmental good/bads to socio-economic indicators).
Topic 3. Market-based instruments in context
So-called market-based instruments – such as PES (payments for ecosystem services), biodiversity offsetting, green taxes and trading systems – play an increasing role in environmental policy and nature conservation. While many of these instruments are promising, they are also widely criticized. In order to understand whether general criticisms make sense, more detailed examinations of particular market-based instruments are needed. What is needed is the examination of particular instruments in their specific context and compared to another policy scenario.
Goal of the research: study the history and policy context (including different discourses and arguments), the concrete implementation (policy process, legislation, economic perspective), state of affairs (use, frequencies, etc.), stakeholders perceptions, etc. Possible methods: literature review, document analysis, expert interviews, stakeholder interviews.
Proposals for particular cases should be discussed to see whether suitable for thesis research.
Contact: Dr. Stijn Neuteleers