Project description
Environmental justice and inequalities in the Western Balkans green transition
As Europe steps up its efforts to go green, there are growing concerns that climate change policies might inadvertently contribute to increasing social and economic disparities in poorer regions like the Western Balkans. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ENVIJUST-WB project will focus on environmental justice and regional disparities. Specifically, it will investigate the social, political and environmental consequences of green policies through qualitative research methods including interviews, observation and policy analysis as well as statistical analysis for quantitative research. The overall aim is to propose policy recommendations for sustainable development.
Objective
Climate change mitigation is urgent, but if poorly designed, green transitions risk deepening inequalities between Europe’s core and periphery. ENVIJUST-WB examines how EU green transition policies affect the Western Balkans – an under-researched region, focusing on environmental justice, socio-political consequences, and structural power asymmetries. The project integrates political economy, environmental justice, and core–periphery theory to develop a model that links socio-environmental inequalities to systemic economic and geopolitical dynamics. Using a mixed-method approach, it combines elite interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and document analysis with descriptive statistics. Outputs will include two peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, and a comparative typology of green transition pathways in peripheral regions. Hosted by the University of Rijeka (UniRi), the fellowship integrates research, training, career development, and knowledge transfer. A secondment at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) will provide advanced economic analysis, regional data, and co-publication opportunities. The objectives are to: (1) critically assess EU external environmental governance in the WB; (2) uncover local socio-political and ecological consequences; and (3) propose just, inclusive, and sustainable policy frameworks. Gender and intersectional factors (class, ethnicity, geography) will be systematically addressed. The fellowship will strengthen the researcher’s career by advancing expertise in political economy, enhancing mixed-method skills, and expanding international networks. Dissemination and communication will include academic publications, open-access outputs, targeted policy briefs, workshops, and media engagement, ensuring scholarly visibility and societal impact.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology anthropology ethnology
- social sciences sociology governance environmental governance
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- social sciences economics and business economics political economy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
51000 Rijeka
Croatia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.