Climate Crisis and Social Protection - From Worker Protection to Post-growth Transformation?

Abstract

The article discusses five literature strands’ approaches towards social protection systems in the context of climate crisis: Adaptive Social Protection, Just Transition, Green New Deal, Post-growth, and Eco-feminism. As we argue, these five strands are located on a spectrum between a green growth orientation and a green anti-capitalist orientation. Furthermore, they differ in terms of their problematisation of the climate crisis and have different perspectives on relevant actors, on world regions, and – most relevant in the context of social welfare – their conceptualisation of social protection. While Adaptive Social Protection emphasizes cash transfers and insurances, Green New Deal and Just Transition approaches focus more on redistribution and labour market policies, and Post-growth and Eco-feminist approaches more on universalist policies and systems. We argue that these literatures each have their weaknesses, but also offer urgent questions, concepts, and insights for further social policy research.

Mapping the social dimension of the European Green Deal

“…1 Different green transition approaches, reflecting various perceptions of the roots of the climate crisis and epistemologies of social interaction, present different concepts of environmental (or climate 2 ) and social protection. These range from market-embracing green growth approaches to radical anti-capitalism (Galgóczi and Pochet, 2022; Nenning et al, 2023; see also Sabato and Mandelli, 2021). While green growth approaches argue that existing social protections should (and can) be updated to adapt to decarbonization and environmental risks, more critical approaches, such as post-growth or eco-feminism, see growth-based and sexist social protection as key contributors to the climate crisis and social injustice.…”

“…While green growth approaches argue that existing social protections should (and can) be updated to adapt to decarbonization and environmental risks, more critical approaches, such as post-growth or eco-feminism, see growth-based and sexist social protection as key contributors to the climate crisis and social injustice. These critical perspectives call for more universalist, decommodifying and democratic social protection and social services (Nenning et al, 2023: 355–356).…”