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Sustainable economy / Green economy

Today’s economy – ranging from its production structures to its consumption patterns - is a driving force of many ecological problems worldwide. In recent years this finding has reached mainstream debates on economic policy in Germany, and also at European and international levels. Resource efficiency, decarbonisation, environmental innovations and the ecological modernization of the economy have been included in the list of objectives by economic policy-makers and are being discussed as a source for new innovation and sustainable growth. A multitude of concepts by various authors are currently competing with each other – ranging from the OECD Green Growth to UNEP's Green Economy or the Sustainable Growth in the European flagship initiative for a resource-efficient Europe – just to name a few. What the concepts have in common is the idea that making changes in the economic structure will not only benefit the economy, but also will reduce their environmental impacts. Individual concepts differ with respect to the question what percentage of the problem solving can be provided through technological innovations (resource efficiency, renewable energies, emissions-free forms of mobility, etc.), or how much cultural change, especially in western industrial societies, is necessary. Many critical contributions place emphasis on the need for such a cultural change, and in light of absolute ecological boundaries call for the departure from the growth orientation of economic policy.
The studies conducted at the FFU on sustainable economic policies and the Green economy cover the various competing concepts, their objectives, instruments and their effects on the environment and on employment. The study of these covers both international comparisons of the various concepts as well as the analysis of concrete individual cases, such as certain policy instruments or policy mixes in specific sectors.

The core concern of the GIZ program RE-ACTIVATE for the MENA region is to create favourableconditions to combine the goals of transforming the energy systems with a sustainable economic development that creates domestic employment effects. The research is intended to contribute to the creation of functioning renewable energy and energy efficiency markets and support employment in the region. (more)

The way public finances are raised and spent can be used as an important lever to affect various environmental problems and challenges – ranging from the Energiewende, climate protection, the management of increasingly scarce resources to the balancing of public budgets and the question how to build a form of sustainable growth. A greening of public finances can make a contribution to these challenges. 
Project timeframe: 02/2014 - 10/2015 

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The Indo-German Expert Group is an interdisciplinary working group of renowned experts from leading research institutions / political think tanks in India and Germany. It was set up in 2013 to enhance collaborative learning, contribute to informed decision-making in both countries and feed into the international debate on a green and inclusive economy. 

since November 2013

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English version coming soon!

Über die personal- und arbeitspolitischen Besonderheiten in den Unternehmen der erneuerbaren Energiewirtschaft ist vergleichsweise wenig bekannt. In interdisziplinärer Kooperation zwischen dem Forschungszentrum für Umweltpolitik und dem Management-Department des Fachbereichs Wirtschaftswissenschaft (FU Berlin) zielt das von der Hans-Böckler-Stiftung geförderte Forschungsprojekt darauf ab, diese Lücke zu füllen, indem insbesondere die soziale Nachhaltigkeit in der Windenergiebranche in den Blick genommen wird.

Laufzeit: 01.02.2014 - 31.01.2016

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The project develops a classification to bring together the supply side of the market and the various demands with the aim to contribute to the success of the technology mechanism of the UN framework convention on climate change. For that purpose, the study will analyse the technology needs assessment of emerging economies and developing countries taking part in the UNFCCC’s technology mechanism. In addition to that, the FFU will study the conditions for successful technology transfers and develop a map of the relevant actors in Germany in this field.

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The study provides an overview of the international debate on Green Jobs, and evaluates the existing empirical evidence on quantitative and qualitative employment effects of the transition to a Green Economy, particularly in developing and emerging countries.

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The research project aims at developing specific suggestions for the use of economic instruments or combinations of economic instruments for the improvement of resource efficiency in Germany and the EU.

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English version coming soon!

Die zentrale Begründung für den Aufbau eines Horizon Scanning Systems liegt in der erkennbaren Beschleunigung ökologischer Prozesse einerseits und sozioökonomischer Veränderungen andererseits. Für die Politik stellt sich damit die Frage, ob reaktiven Kurzatmigkeiten durch frühzeitigere Problembewältigung begegnet werden. Denn speziell die Umweltpolitik in Deutschland ist dem Vorsorgeprinzip und dem Gedanken der generationenübergreifenden Nachhaltigkeit verpflichtet.

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The project aims at supporting and stimulating the emerging political and social debate on resource policies from a political science, legal and economic perspective. For this purpose the discussion on targets and indicators will be analyzed and options identified for selecting, operationalizing and prioritizing targets on resource policy.

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The Environmental Policy Research Centre (FFU) supports the project with its expertise in the field of “Green Economy”. Specifically, it supports the preparation of the country studies, summarizes and compares their main results so as to develop policy recommendations for the region as a whole, and prepares a comparable case study on “The German energy transition and its implications for green jobs”.

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This project contributes to measurement of progress towards Green Economy and its understanding for political decision making process in Germany. Based on a synopsis of rele-vant measurement concepts it identifies deficits of available concepts and develops suggestions for an adequate indicator system.

December 15, 2011 - September 30, 2014

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In the light of the upcoming Rio 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the study explores the stances of European civil society actors on issues related to the Green Economy as part of Sustainable Development.

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Currently, an environmentally recyclable concept of a socio-ecological, sustainable growth and social model is missing, which would be a reference point for future economic and social prosperity and corresponding transformation processes. With this background, the main point of this study is the technical analysis and discussion of the following aspects:
1) theoretical and practical approaches of ecological and sustainable-oriented social and economic models – based on a national or macro-economic view.
2) conceptual and empirical reform efforts for the measurement of social welfare and economic prosperity.

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This research project compares lead markets in the EU with cases in China, India and Brazil.

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The study recapitulates the most important shortfalls and vacancies of the GDP figures. Founded on this analysis, the question of possible complementary indicators has been discussed.

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One important analytical tool among different Life-Cycle Approaches is Life Cycle Assessment as described and standardised by ISO.

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The effects of environmental tax reforms on economic growth, economic competitiveness, employment, environmental quality and quality of life are at the heart of this programme.

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