Will Eadson (p)

Martina Fuchs

This paper uses an empirical investigation of regional hydrogen investments and strategies in Northern Europe to further conceptualisation of path development. It foregrounds politics and power as central explanatory factors in understanding the logics, processes and outcome of path development.

This conceptualisation is a departure from evolutionary economic geography approaches to industrial change through focusing on path development as political process. We build from – and advance - Geographic Political Economy approaches to path development to outline a multi-faceted conceptualisation of path development politics encompassing institutional, material, cultural and civic-welfare politics which entwine to shape and produce different path development processes and outcomes. We argue this represents a significant expansion of existing scholarship in the field.

The paper also makes an important empirical contribution through an original international analysis of hydrogen developments in Europe, a highly topical area of research which has not yet been treated to detailed international comparative case study analysis. It finds that the four modes of politics identified are critical to understanding how ‘hydrogenated path development’ is taking shape.

Michaela Trippl, Virginia Gruenenwald, Maximilian Benner (p)

Will Eadson

Multiple crises of our time demand rapid sustainability transformations. These require not only innovation but also the destabilisation and phasing out of non-sustainable structures and practices. Such transformations can come with significant negative repercussions and brings to the forefront the question of how transitions can be designed in a just and fair manner. However, just transitions can take many different forms. Drawing on a wide literature review, we identify dimensions of the notion of just transition that allow for a nuanced view on the geography of just transitions. We argue that just transitions depend on regional context and propose an analytical framework to grasp how regions can cope with the challenges of the green transition and ensure that the transitions enfold in a just way. Based on this framework, we call for further research on just transitions in regions.

Suyash Jolly (p)

Maximilian Benner

The literature on green industry path development (i.e. referring to industrial development around new technologies, products, services, business models that promote new industry development, create new jobs and economic growth, help reduce GHG emissions and reduce biodiversity loss) within the Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) Literature has provided considerable insights regarding different typologies of green industry path development in different types of regions. However, limited studies have highlighted the need for examining the economic, social, and ecological impacts of the green industry path development process.
Building on these insights, the paper provides an overview of the critical building blocks of conceptualizing the inclusive green industry path development process by focusing on three crucial interrelated dimensions, namely (1) Different forms of change and maintenance agency exhibited through transformation work and the multiple legitimation narratives propagated by different actors; (2) the underlying politics of inclusion and exclusion of vulnerable actors and the zones of negotiation between powerful and vulnerable actors and (3) the role of the multi-scalar institutional environment and the national state in mediating conflicts and contestations between the actors. The three integrative dimensions help examine how the different vulnerable and powerful actors negotiate different interests and engage in power plays to emphasize or deemphasize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of a future-oriented green industry path development process. In this respect, the role of the national state is crucial in mediating the different interests and conflicts between the different actors in a multi-scalar context to develop coordination and setting strategic direction for stimulating transformative green regional industry path development process.
The analytical framework helps to explain the underlying tradeoffs between the economic, social, and ecological dimensions of the inclusive green industry path development process and the different regional outcomes (positive and negative) in different regions. The framework is empirically illustrated with the ongoing complexities associated with just onshore and offshore wind industry development in Norway by building upon empirical insights from prior case studies. In terms of the research method, the paper utilizes a qualitative case study approach and utilizes existing archival data sources.
The paper contributes to the existing literature on green industry path development by developing a nuanced multi-level and multi-scalar conceptualization of the inclusive green industry path development process, focusing on the tradeoffs between the different economic, social, and ecological outcomes.

Hugo Pinto (p)

Suyash Jolly

Tourist regions were particularly vulnerable to the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. Restricted mobility has led to recession and severe job loss in the tourism sector. Many tourist regions with limited economic diversification are overly dependent on this sector as their main economic driver. Before the pandemic, many destinations were already facing the negative effects of overtourism. By causing a temporary reduction in tourism, the pandemic has made it possible to reflect on these issues and consider the need for more sustainable practices for the future. This has led to a growing debate on tourism and possible alternatives in the sector. This communication, based on the case study of the Algarve (Portugal), a sun and sand destination and one of the most tourism-intensive regions in the European Union, highlights the vulnerability of tourism regions to external shocks and internal sustainability challenges, such as water governance or the need to degrowth. Using a political economy perspective, it presents regenerative tourism as a potentially useful concept for path development. By focusing on a symbiotic relationship between a wide range of stakeholders, tourists, the industry and the destination, regenerative tourism can contribute to regional transformative resilience. The study uses quantitative information and a focus group with key stakeholders to assess sustainable path development and just social, economic and environmental impacts of tourism. Findings provide insights into the difficulties of implementing a transformation agenda, such as a smart specialisation strategy, in a tourism-intensive region.

Martina Fuchs (p)

Hugo Pinto

Green Skills enable workers for sustainability transformations. Green Skills are related to a bundle of ecological goals and measures. They shall contribute to achieve climate goals, decrease emissions, save natural resources, protect biodiversity and revitalize ecosystems. Frequently, Green Skills have to be aligned with ‘just transformations’, particularly aiming at the reduction of social inequality and poverty and at the improvement of living and working conditions, including participation, co-determination and empowerment. Green Skills are relevant for production and service creation and they shall be introduced in various curricula and teaching-learning practices of vocational schools and universities of applied sciences, as well as in various kinds of further training. Until now, there is a lack of systematic analysis of how implementation of such vocational and training measures actually takes place. The paper aims to investigate the place-specific contextual preconditions including enabling and constraining factors, by using the example of Green Skills’ implementation in German regions. It seizes on desktop research and preliminary insights from pilot studies of ongoing investigation in selected industrialized metropolitan regions.