Methodology of the RITC

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated shortfalls in our social-ecological-economic systems. To alleviate the strains of the pandemic and the ensuing social and economic crises, the European Union has installed the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). RRF-distributed funds are attached to various criteria to progress the digital and ecological transitions in Member States and to build societies better able to cope with future shocks. To analyze the potentials for systemic change of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) Member States submitted to the RRF, ZOE Institute, in partnership with the New Economics Foundation, developed the Recovery Index for Transformative Change (RITC). The results of our assessment of 13 NRRPs are available here: A future-fit recovery?

The RITC proved a valuable tool to assess systemic change of policies and policy packages based on the width and depth of change promoted. The framework includes indicators which assess whether policies contribute positively to a just transition, the protection of the natural world, and systemic change, as well as a scale taking a holistic view of groups of policies and considers whether these policies are coherent with one another. This report (available below for download) presents the methodology of the RITC and its application process in detail, with the hope to inspire continuous assessment of systemic change towards future-fit economies.