An eco-social policy typology: From system reproduction to transformation

Abstract

Eco-social policy research has emerged to address the interconnected and escalating pressures of social reproduction, climate change, and biodiversity loss, which require structural and behavioural changes for environmental and social welfare. However, conceptual ambiguity persists in applying an eco-social policy perspective to empirical research. After reviewing the interconnections and tensions of environmental and social policy, this article proposes a novel eco-social policy typology to assess policy discourses for their eco-social potential and to imagine different pathways towards sustainable policy-integration. The typology discusses four perspectives: Green Economy, Green Keynesianism, Recomposing Consumption and Production, and Degrowth. Each perspective is analysed based on its approach towards economic growth, the extent to which it appreciates public modes of governance, and its potential to either perpetuate existing institutionalised policymaking frameworks or lead to transformative shifts. This typology fosters constructive debates on integrating environmental and social policy, facilitates empirical research on policy proposals’ eco-social potential and offers guidance in evaluating policy discourses through an eco-social lens.