Conclusion: Bringing together the eco-social debate and established political science perspectives: Synergies and new research pathways
This symposium makes a first step in bridging the emerging eco-social debate and the established political science theories and concepts, indicating the mutually beneficial analytical perspectives and common research pathways that may arise. In addition to identifying several aspects in the policy, politics and polity dimensions that appear to be particularly relevant in view of the emerging eco-social policies, this collection of articles points out two cross-cutting themes, namely the transformation of the welfare state set-ups, and new cleavages and power relations, which pose new questions and open a promising research agenda for political scientists.
This symposium titled “Political science perspectives on the emerging eco-social policies, politics and polity in the European Union” has, for the first time, explicitly brought together the emerging eco-social research with more established political science theories and concepts. The contributions have provided new empirical knowledge and theoretical insights to advance the debate on what are eco-social policies, moving forward also the understanding of who are the actors driving and supporting eco-social policies and the conditions under which these policies can develop. At the same time, the collected contributions emphasise the need to further consolidate the conceptual, analytical, and methodological underpinnings of studying the eco-social linkage from a political science perspective, especially regarding why and how policy and political transformation occur. More specifically, the following gaps and research prospects have been outlined and discussed.
