Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe

Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe

The objective of this 4-year project is to provide the analytical basis for a socio-ecological transition in Europe: the change to a new growth path with smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as is envisaged in the EU 2020 strategy. In order to support the transition, we analyse the need, the feasibility and best practice for change, specifying the institutional changes needed at all policy levels to implement these options. The old and new challenges Europe is facing define the starting point: globalisation, new technologies and postindustrialisation, demographic change and ecology in the context of welfare systems that have come under stress due to high public deficits. The vision is that Europe will become a role model for a "high road growth path" which actively incorporates social and ecological goals, employment, gender and cultural aspects in an ambitious, forward looking way while continuing to be competitive in a globalised world. To achieve these objectives, the consortium will carry out and synthesise robust research in research areas covering the challenges to the welfare system, the biophysical dimension of socio-economic development, the identification of drivers towards socio-ecological transition, the role of governance and institutions on the European as well as the regional level. The consortium will benefit from ongoing dialogue with international experts in the form of expert panels and sounding boards, taking into account their views on the direction and feasibility for this new growth path. The project will be carried out by a consortium of 33 partners from universities and research institutes with international and interdisciplinary expertise. It represents 12 member states. High level Scientific and Policy Boards will monitor the analysis and the policy conclusions to guarantee the impact and dissemination of the results.The dedicated website http://www.foreurope.eu/u provides a detailed project description.

Project members

Georg Licht

Georg Licht

Project Coordinator
Research Associate

To the profile
Birgit Aschhoff

Birgit Aschhoff

Senior Researcher

To the profile
Client/Allowance
European Commission, DG Research, Brüssel, BE
Cooperation partner
UAB Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, ES // Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, BE // Humboldt-University of Berlin (HUB), Berlin, DE // University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, DE // Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), Wien, AT // Vienna University of Technology, Wien, AT // Vienna University of Economics and Business, Wien, AT // Institute for Forecasting of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, SK // University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, FR // Utrecht University, Utrecht, NL // Institute for World Economics, Kiel, DE // Ecologic Institut, Berlin, DE // University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK // Budapest Institute for Policy Analysis Ltd., Budapest, HU // Ernst-Abbe-University of Applied Science Jena, Jena, DE // Free University of Bozen · Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, IT // Institute for Financial and Regional Analyses, Münster, DE // Local Governments for Sustainability, Freiburg, DE // Mendel University in Brno, Brno, CZ // Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning, Wien, AT // Policy Network, London, UK // RATIO, Stockholm, SE // University of Economics in Bratislava, Bratislava, SK // University of Hasselt, Hasselt, BE // Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, AT // University of Dundee, Dundee, UK // Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, IT // University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HU // Coventry University, Coventry, UK // ivory Tower, Stockholm, SE // Institute of World Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HU // University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK