As people and ecosystems confront escalating environmental challenges, there is a growing recognition of local stakeholders' pivotal role in decision-making processes. This international conference seeks to explore how local institutional mechanisms and political mobilizations shape green transitions. It asks: What is the interplay between environmental democracy and the pursuit of green transitions efforts worldwide? Which constellations of actors can be observed and how do they map onto decentralised institutional environments?

Focusing on India and Switzerland, the conference will situate the discussion within the global contestations over discourses, practices, and policies of environmental justice and “green” or “just” transitions. Exploring the dynamics of local environmental democracy in India, Switzerland as well as their bordering regions will enable to understand how diverse actors and communities navigate environmental governance processes in federal states and how they mobilize for sustainable change and environmental justice.

The conference seeks to include case studies from the global North and South, which are impacted differently by climate change and environmental degradation. The cross-context and transnational perspective it proposes to adopt will unpack contrasting discourses of development, environment and transitions.

Contributions are invited on questions such as:

• How have local environmental movements articulated issues of green transition and environmental justice? Which issues have been foregrounded by young people and which modes of mobilisations have they been using?
• How have legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms for local environmental democracy evolved within federal or decentralized political systems?
• How do scales and levels of governance play out in policies and instruments that have been set up to foster green transitions?
• What are the drivers and the obstacles to green transitions? What does the term elicit, in terms of mobilisation and policy innovations and responses?
• What are transnational articulations of institutional mechanisms and political mobilisations?

The conference aims to bring together scholars from a range of disciplines (including political science, anthropology, sociology, legal studies, environmental studies, history, economics). It is organised by Christine Lutringer (Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Geneva Graduate Institute) and Rusha Das (Indian Institute of Management - IIM Bangalore) with the support of the Swiss Leading House for South Asia and Iran and in collaboration with the research project “Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions: Reframing Democratic Spaces at a Time of Polarisation”.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

The conference organisers welcome the submission of abstracts from participants who wish to participate in hybrid mode. Paper proposals (abstracts) should include a title and a description (in English, maximum 400 words) as well as name, e-mail address and institutional affiliation/function of the author(s).

They should be submitted by email to democracy.applications@graduateinstitute.ch

Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2024

Notice of acceptance: 13 September 2024

Registration opens: 16 September 2024

Registration deadline: 30 September 2024

Conference dates: from 23 October 2024 14:30 CET to 25 October 15:15 CET

Queries shall be addressed by email to rusha.das@iimb.ac.in or christine.lutringer@graduateinstitute.ch

FORMAT AND ORGANISATION OF THE CONFERENCE

Through the various contributions, the conference seeks to highlight the factors behind the mobilisations and the political, as well as policy responses. It aims to identify research gaps and novel approaches to address them. Each day will end with a brainstorming session on key questions and research avenues.

Each panel will provide a platform for scholars from diverse fields to present their findings and engage in constructive dialogue. The following thematic panels are envisaged:

Panel 1: Transnational Perspectives on Green Transitions

How do various political actors envisage green transitions? This panel seeks to bring together insights from different countries and from different disciplines (e.g. environmental sociology, political economy, ecology) to explore the various drivers and obstacles to green transitions within local political spaces. By examining case studies from different regions, especially in India and Switzerland, it aims to uncover the complex interplay between these factors and how they influence the pace and success of green transitions. Contributions may address factors such as economic incentives, regulatory frameworks, technological innovations, activism and the role of civil society.

Panel 2: Environmental Justice and Democracy

How do policies, discourses, and political action give voice to concerns of environmental justice? This panel proposes to examine the nexus between environmental justice and democracy and its articulations across political spaces. Contributors may discuss how local governance structures, policies, and practices either facilitate or impede transparent environmental decision-making processes. Case study approaches or comparative analyses between the decentralized political systems of Switzerland and India are particularly welcome.

Panel 3: Political Mobilisations, Civic Engagement and Legal Activism

What are the various ways in which political mobilisations and grassroots activism have influenced green transitions? This panel will examine multiple forms of engagement, from protest movements to community-led initiatives that advocate for environmental justice and sustainability. Contributions may focus on strategies for mobilization, challenges faced by local communities in their advocacy efforts, or the effect of economic, institutional and political reconfigurations, amongst others. Through the case studies brought by contributors, this panel seeks to explore different modes of engagement with local stakeholders as well as their effects on policy changes.

Panel 4: Policy Instruments

How do instruments such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and circular economy projects influence broader policy frameworks and environmental mobilisations? This panel proposes to examine the dynamics between specific environmental policy instruments that bear on local and regional levels of governance, and public participation. Contributions may analyse their temporal evolution, assessing the ability of these mechanisms and instruments to evolve in response to public pressure. The development of alternative modes of engagement, both within governance spaces and across them, is also of particular interest to this panel.

Panel 5: Political and Financial Autonomy in Environmental Governance

Examining the impact of political and financial autonomy on local environmental governance, this panel will incorporate perspectives from political economy. Contributions may explore how regional and local governments in federal states like India and Switzerland navigate political and financial constraints to implement sustainable practices. Discussions will include the role of fiscal policies, funding mechanisms, and political will in driving green transitions. This panel aims to identify pathways for enhancing local autonomy in environmental decision-making.

Panel 6: Future Research Directions in Local Environmental Democracy

The final panel will be a forward-looking discussion on future research directions in local environmental democracy and green transitions, incorporating perspectives from multiple disciplines. Participants will identify current research gaps, propose new research questions, and explore potential interdisciplinary approaches. The panel will also discuss how to build and sustain a research consortium that can advance knowledge in this field. The goal is to foster collaboration among researchers and practitioners, paving the way for innovative studies that can inform policy and practice.