This research group investigates the politics of sustainability and (post-)growth in leading international organisations. Rather than asking whether green growth is feasible or whether instead post-growth is required for socio-ecological transformations, it focuses on the lessons that specific organisations at the supra- or international level draw from current sustainability debates for their work. The research group will thus contribute to further academic and public dialogue on global unsustainability as one of the most pressing problems of our age.
The junior professorship examines practices of governing (un)sustainability in global politics. The associated research group takes the green growth versus post-growth debate as a starting point to analyse how international organisations position themselves on sustainability questions. The aspired innovation of the group’s research is to illuminate the grey areas and render visible the nuances of these organisations’ policy stances, which can be more complex than simple endorsements or rejections of the growth paradigm. Most notably, organisations may support post-growth ideas under a variety of labels – that is, without invoking the contested language of “post-growth” or even “degrowth”.
While the professorship is broadly situated in the intersecting fields of International Relations and International Political Economy, its theoretical and methodological approach is interdisciplinary, drawing especially on scholarship in ecological economics, (organisational) sociology and sustainability studies. One of its ultimate goals is to contribute socially relevant research that helps society as a whole to transition to a truly sustainable world.
The professorship is based at the Institute for Socio-Economics (IfSO) of the University of Duisburg-Essen. Matthias Kranke was appointed to the professorship in April 2025.
Prof. Matthias Kranke has taken up the position of the junior professorship in April 2025. He leads the research group 'Global Sustainability Governance'.
Detailed information about the staff members of the research group is available on the team website.
A list of publications will be available soon.