Second Annual Workshop
The Sustainable Social Policy and Welfare States Research Hub at the London School of Economics and Political Science is hosting its second annual workshop on Tuesday 2nd June 2026.
The workshop aims to bring together researchers who are working on the social dimensions of climate change and the environment, broadly defined, and policy responses to these challenges. In doing so, we aim to showcase cutting edge research, provide researchers with valuable feedback, and offer a platform for scholars to build their networks and explore future research directions in this growing field.
The Sustainable Social Policy and Welfare States Research Hub
Second Annual Workshop
2nd June 2026, Vera Anstey Room, OLD Building, LSE
Faculty Organiser: Liam F. Beiser-McGrath
08:30 Light Breakfast and Coffee
9:00 Welcome and opening remarks
PANEL I Climate Policy Support, Fairness & Public Opinion
9:10 Julian Limberg King’s College London
Can Wealth Taxes Reduce Public Opposition to Carbon Pricing?
9:30 Florian Lichtin ETH Zürich
Could Reducing Misperceptions about Distributional Effects Increase Support for Climate Mitigation Policies?
9:50 Isolde Hegemann LSE
No Compensation without Representation: Democratic Inclusion and Place-Based Group Appeals in Compensation Policy Support
10:10 Mary Sanford RFF-CMCC
Climate Policy Opinion and Perceptions of Public Opinion among European Legislators
10:30 Coffee
PANEL II Green Transition, Labour & Skills
10:45 Felix Schulz Lund University
Under Threat? Worker Identities, Climate Policy Support and the Role of Labour Market Support Systems
11:05 Cecilia Ivardi University of St. Gallen
Skills for the Green Transition? The ‘Echo Chamber’ of Green Skills in Skill Formation Policy
11:25 Anaëlle Touré EPFL
The Rising Role of Just Transition and Labor in Decarbonization Plans: Evidence from NDCs
11:45 Coffee
PANEL III Eco-Social Risks, Welfare States & Adaptation
12:00 Taylor Brown UC Berkeley
Do Welfare States Adapt?
12:20 Matteo Mandelli Sciences Po
Measuring Eco-Social Risks: Climate Change, Climate Policy and Housing Deprivation in Six European Countries
12:40 Katelyn Nutley University of St Andrews
Detecting Environmental Policy Paradigms in EU Pre-Legislative Documents: A Computational Approach
13:00 Lunch
PANEL IV The Green Backlash
14:00 Paul Michel University of Cologne
Not In My Basement: The Political Consequences of Climate Reforms
14:20 Antonia Peißker Humboldt-Universität Berlin
Democracy for Dividends: Does Citizen Participation in Renewables Counteract Political Backlash?
14:40 Theodore Tallent Sciences Po
From Climate Concern to Climate Coalitions: Trade-offs and Electoral Support for Climate Action
15:00 Malo Jan Sciences Po
A Selective Accommodation? Conservative Parties’ Reaction to Radical Right Politicization of Climate Change
15:20 Coffee
PANEL V Climate, Democracy & Distributive Politics in the Global South
15:35 Alex Yeandle Nuffield College, Oxford
Unequal Protection: Climate Shocks, Social Vulnerability, and Electoral Politics in Malawi
15:55 Tobias Böhmelt University of Essex
Pollution Insourcing and Autocratization: Evidence from Lower Income Countries
16:15 Fikayo Akeredolu University of Oxford
Distributive Politics of Reform: Stratified Adaptation and Legitimacy Erosion in Nigeria’s Fuel Subsidy Removal
16:35 Ella Henninger ETH Zürich
Political and Social Trust in Pollution Responsibility Attribution: Evidence from 39 African Countries
16:55 Closing remarks and post-workshop Reception
Location: TBD
18:30 Dinner Location: TBD
To attend (subject to availability) please register interest here: https://forms.gle/poLZLvxFss1xYUqaA
