1. Faculty of Environment
  2. School of Earth and Environment
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  5. Economics and Policy for Sustainability
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  7. Profile
Dr Richard Bärnthaler

Dr Richard Bärnthaler

Profile

I am a Lecturer in Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment (Sustainability Research Institute, SRI), where I also co-lead the research group Economics and Policy for Sustainability. I serve as Board Member at the European Society for Ecological Economics and Associate Editor at Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. My research focuses on social-ecological economics, political economy, sufficiency, eco-social policy, and post-growth.

Before joining SRI in December 2023, I was University Assistant at the Vienna University of Economics, Institute for Multi-Level Governance and Development. Among others, I am a member of the Postgrowth Cities Coalition, Regional Studies Association Research Network on Eco-Social Policy and Practice for Innovation and Transformation and the Foundational Economy Collective, academic adviser to the Competence Centre for Infrastructural Economics, Public Services and Social Provisioning, and Affiliate at the Vienna University of Economics, Institute for Spatial and Social-Ecological Transformation. I have also served as lead author of the APCC Special Report on “Structures for Climate-Friendly Living” as well as the APCC Assessment Report on “Climate Change in Austria 2.0”. 

Responsibilities

  • Research group leader Economics and Policy for Sustainability

Research interests

Social-Ecological Economics, Political Economy, Sufficiency, Eco-Social Policy, Industrial Policy, Post-Growth

Research projects

Research projects granted and/or completed before UoL employment in December 2023:

  • 2023-2026: Quantifying Qualitative Transformation Pathways towards Climate-friendly Living (Q2-PATHWAYS), Austrian Climate Research Program (ACRP), €339,000, Co-PI
  • 2021-2023: Transformative Realism for Effective Climate Action (TRANSREAL), Austrian Climate Research Program (ACRP), €284,000, Co-PI
  • 2021-2022: Alliance-building for a social-ecological transformation: re-politicising the everyday living environment and local provisioning, WU Junior Faculty Grant, €5,000, PI
  • 2020-2022: Modes of Living and the Infrastructures of Everyday Life, €18,500, City of Vienna WU Jubilee Fund, PI
  • 2016-2019: Fostering Multilateral Knowledge Networks of Transdisciplinary Studies to Tackle Global Challenges (KNOTS), ERASMUS+ Capacity Building in Higher Education, €999,000, RA
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD, Economics and Social Sciences, Social-Ecological Economics
  • MSc, Social-Ecological Economics and Policy
  • MA, History and Philosophy of Science

Student education

I manage and partly deliver the Postgraduate Module SOEE5094 Ecological Economics.

Teaching Fellowships

  • Associate Fellowship from Advance Higher Education (AFHEA)

Current PhD students

  • Tom Webb, "Examining the role of inequality reduction for making welfare states more growth-resilient" (University of Leeds)

  • Julia Beier, “A Provisioning Systems Approach for Transformative Climate Adaptation: Addressing Heat Stress in Labor-Intensive Sectors in Austria” (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna)

  • Tobias Riepl, “The role of the foundational economy to live well within limits” (Central European University Vienna)

Areas for PhD supervision

I welcome queries on doctoral dissertation projects on topics such as:

  • Social-ecological transformation
  • System-of-provision approach
  • Post-growth, degrowth, sufficiency 
  • Eco-social policies, production and consumption corridors
  • Social provisioning, social-ecological infrastructures, foundational economy, universal basic services
  • Political economy of climate change
  • Eco-socialism, Economic planning, industrial policy

 

Research groups and institutes

  • Economics and Policy for Sustainability
  • Social and Political Dimensions of Sustainability
  • Sustainability Research Institute

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>
Funding
    <li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/409-esrc-white-rose-dtp-collaborative-studentship---exploring-the-socio-ecological-potentials-of-essential-provisioning-systems-in-oecd-nations">ESRC White Rose DTP Collaborative Studentship - Exploring the socio-ecological potentials of essential provisioning systems in OECD nations</a></li>