The newly established Green Transition Policy Centre (GreenTraC) at University of Copenhagen (located in the Department of Food and Resource Economics) invites applicants for a PhD fellowship with a focus on public policy and sustainability transitions.

GreenTraC is funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. We have preference for candidates with a disciplinary background in political science/public policy or similar.

The objective of GreenTraC is to establish the causal relations between determinants (e.g. political, institutional and technological conditions) of green transition policy and its effects on transition processes. Rather than focusing on single instruments in transition policy, our study objects are packages of policy instruments brought to bear on a particular domain. Effective green transition policy mixes simultaneously promote creation of novel green solutions and phase-out unsustainable solutions. However, this can be politically difficult as it may mobilise opposition from actors applying unsustainable technologies. This points to the importance of policy processes in overcoming opposition from potential losers of policy change. Though it has been recognised that policy process theory needs to be brought into transition studies, little progress has been achieved in this respect. GreenTraC will advance knowledge on the way in which policy processes may promote or impede green transition. The Centre focuses on policies for green transition of the agrifood industry, energy-intensive industries (e.g. cement and chemicals) and maritime transport – three sectors where emission-reductions have been relatively limited and rapid acceleration is needed. The PhD fellow will undertake comparative research on green transition policy processes within one or two of these sectors, taking into account the PhD fellow’s interests and profile.

For inquiries about the position and copy of project description, please do not hesitate to contact Professor Carsten Daugbjerg at cda@ifro.ku.dk or +45 3533 2269, and you can click to this link