Call for Papers - 4th ECO-SOS Workshop on Economics and Sustainability

The Research Center on Economics and Sustainability (ECO-SOS) is located at the Department of Economics of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Specifically, ECO- SOS studies the connection between sustainability and the following areas of interest: environmental and climate economics, health economics, regional and urban economics, education and labor market, business and innovation, energy and natural resources, industrial organization, economic policy, game theory and environmental conflicts, transport and tourism.

Workshop objectives
The urgent need for the decarbonisation of the world economy to mitigate climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing today’s society. Changes in our behaviour and in our consumption and production patterns are needed. Transition to a greener economy and society will require actions on many fronts. Indeed, we have seen increased green structural changes associated with the application of new green technologies and regulations on the one hand, and expanded demand and need for retraining for employment and to meet new market opportunities on the other hand.

While advances are happening, there is a growing concern on whether we are acting fast enough. According to the OECD, we need to measure better whether the countries’ workforce possess the green skills needed to support the widespread diffusion of climate-friendly technologies. and whether education systems are fit for purpose to advance the green transition. At the same time, considering the rigidities that characterize education and TVET systems, the continued progress of climate goals will also depend on improving the allocation (reallocation) of the existing stock of human talent at different levels: individual skill transitions; sector employment transitions; and regional/country migration patterns.

To stimulate research and discussion on the employment and skill requirements of the green transition we seek empirical and theoretical papers on three interrelated areas: 1. Changes in occupations, skills gaps and skills shortages in meeting the skills demand of the green transition. If we want to deal with climate change, what kinds of radical changes should we expect in occupations and businesses? How will these changes affect workers' careers and company practices, employment structures and work organization, work routines and training? What is the scale of the need for reskilling and upskilling to realize the employment potential?

2. How labour migration supports green skills development and helps fill labour shortages. How labor migration, grounded in the human and labor rights of migrants and the principle of gender-equality, can serve as an adaptive response to foster green growth? Is there a need to establish a specific migration strategy for people facing the adverse impacts of disasters, climate change and environmental degradation?

3. Regions as mesostructures to estimulate the transition to greener economies. Can regions be a key actor in planning, and coordinating skills and environmental policy matters and between public and private sectors? 3 Keynote Speakers: Prof. Francesco Vona and Ms. Olga Strieska-Ilina (TBC) conflicts, transport and tourism.

Keynote Speakers: Prof. Francesco Vona and Ms. Olga Strieska-Ilina (TBC)

Francesco Vona is Full Professor of Economics in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) of the University of Milan and director of the program ‘Labour in the low-carbon transition’ of Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM). Francesco studied Statistics and Economics at the University La Sapienza of Rome, where he got his first academic job as post- doc research fellow. In 2010, he joined the French Observatory of Economic Conjectures where he remained for more than 11 years and participated to numerous H2020 and FP7 European projects. He has also been adjunct visiting professor at University Ca’ Foscari of Venice where he is member of the Doctoral Program Committee in Science and Management of Climate Change. He remains research fellow at the OFCE and visiting research fellow at Grantham Institute of Climate Change and the Environment of the London School of Economics. He worked with various international organizations, think tanks and foundations, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), the ENEL Foundation, the OECD, the DG Employment and the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. He gave keynote speeches in various international conferences and workshops on topics related to the green economy and the labour market impact of environmental policies. See more information in his webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/francescovona/home.

Olga Strietska-Ilina is a Senior Skills and Employability Specialist at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a Team Leader of the work area Skills Strategies for Future Labour Markets, focusing on anticipating skills needs for the Future of Work, skills for trade and economic diversification, skills for environmental sustainability and climate action, and skills for technological change and digitalisation. Before 2008, Ms. Strietska-Ilina worked on skills forecasting for the European Centre for Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). She was a Head of the Czech National Observatory of Employment and Training and taught International Relations at the Central European University (CEU). Ms. Strietska-Ilina holds post-graduate degrees in Economic and Social Sciences from the University of Manchester, Society and Politics from the CEU, and History and Ethnography from the Moscow State University named after Lomonosov. She published extensively on future skills, education, training, and broader social and cultural issues. She is an author of many policy papers discussed at the G20 and BRICS ministerial meetings as well as various books on topics such as green future or learning societies.

Submission of papers
Full papers should be submitted (in pdf format) to eco-sos@urv.cat by May 1st 2024.

Authors are allowed to submit only one paper. Information about acceptance will be communicated by June 30th 2024. All paper presenters are expected to discuss another
paper during the workshop. The assignment of discussants will be distributed to participants by the end of July.

As this workshop intends to create a network among researchers working on sustainability issues, participation without paper presentation is also encouraged. In this case, please send us an e-mail indicating your interest in attending the workshop (before the end of August, for the sake of organizing).

Location and Travelling
Located right in the centre of the Costa Daurada and at less than one hour from Barcelona, Reus is a medium-sized city well known for its shopping, modernist heritage, and its close relationship to the architect Antoni Gaudí.

How to get to Reus from Reus Airport?
Reus Airport is located 3 km from the city centre and is connected with several European destinations, mainly by Ryanair.

By bus (Reus Transport: www.reustransport.cat): bus number 50 connects the Reus Airport to the city centre in less than 30 minutes, with a frequency of one hour. The bus makes several stops, including bus and train stations.

By taxi: taxis stand in front of the door of the arrivals terminal of the airport. The approximate cost of the journey to the city centre is 20 € and lasts about 15 minutes.

How to get to Reus from Barcelona?
Reus is located 110 km south of Barcelona, just over an hour away.

By car: take the AP-7 motorway and after one hour take exit 34 and follow the T11 towards Reus.

By train (RENFE: www.renfe.es): the trip from Barcelona takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. About 15 trains are making the journey between Barcelona Sants station and Reus each day. The adult fare is 8.40€ (regional) and 9.55€ (Catalonia Express).

By bus (www.igualadina.com): Hispano Igualadina connects Barcelona with Reus four times a day on weekdays and twice on weekends. The journey takes 1 hour and 50 minutes and the fare is 10.60€.

How to get to Reus from Barcelona Airport?
By bus (www.busplana.com): Plana connects Barcelona Airport with Reus six times a day on weekdays and five on weekends. The journey takes between 1 hour and 30 minutes and 2 hours and 40 minutes (depending on timetable) and the fare is 16.90€.

By train (RENFE: www.renfe.es): There is a train station at the T2 building that connects with Sants station in Barcelona. Departures are every 20 minutes.

Accommodation
Participants are expected to arrange their own accommodation. Among the hotels on the following list, Reus Park Hotel is the closest to the venue of the conference (5-minute walk), and Hotel Centre Reus, and NH Hotel are within a reasonable walking distance:

Hotel NH Ciutat de Reus ****
http://www.nh-hotels.com

Hotel Centre Reus ***
http://hotelcentrereus.com/home/

Hotel Reus Park ***
http://www.hotelreuspark.com/en/hotel-2/

Registration and fees
There is a non-refundable fee for all the attendants of EUR 170€. The fee covers coffee breaks, two lunches, a gala dinner, and full access to all activities of the workshop.

Scientific Committee

Local Organising Committee

More Information