Speaker Series: Social Policy Unpacked

The prospects for fairness and inclusion in Europe are being shaped by the green and digital transitions, which impact the future of work and the provision of essential goods and services. Regional inequality and demographic change further call the stability of social security systems into question. How these trends will affect people’s lives depends on the way the EU and its Member States design policies to shape the green and digital transition.

In this project, we are working with the European Commission (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion – DG EMPL) to create a space for expert-informed dialogue on green and digital transition topics. A series of outstanding thinkers will channel their ideas and approaches into European social policy and challenge existing paradigms. We hope to bring a social lens to the green and digital transition agendas and explore their potential. The results of the series can inform the European Commission’s social and labour market policies and the related research agenda.

To achieve these objectives, we are organising a speaker series consisting of twelve online seminars running from December 2022 until June 2023.

• The interplay of digitalisation on the green transition – Dr Steffen Lange and Prof Tilman Santarius, 14.12.2022
• How digital and social media shape public perception – Dr Joan Donovan, 25.01.2023
• Meeting basic needs within planetary boundaries – Anna Coote, 22.02.2023
• The relevance of regional divides for the green transition – Prof Claudius Gräbner and Jakob Hafele, 08.03.2023
• Overcoming populist challenges to social cohesion – Prof Vivien Schmidt, 05.04.2023
• Future-fit housing policy: Social and financial dimensions – Prof Sebastian Kohl, 19.04.2023
• Governance via algorithm? Rethinking the role of technology for fair and just societies – Prof Karen Yeung, 02.05.2023
• Living Well within Limits – Prof Julia Steinberger, 12.05.2023
• Equity, consumption, and the path to sustainable welfare – Prof Milena Buchs, 24.05.2023
• Fair energy policy for crises and transitions – Dr Tina Fawcett, 15.06.2023.
• Shaping the future of EU governance: Towards a just transition – Dr Sebastiano Sabato, 19.06.2023.