Dr Richard Bärnthaler

Profile

I am an assistant professor at the University of Leeds, where I teach ecological economics at the Sustainability Research Institute. My research focuses on the political economy of social-ecological transformation.

I serve on the board of the European Society for Ecological Economics, am an associate editor of Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, lead the Economics and Policy for Sustainability (ECONOPOL) research group at the University of Leeds, and am a lead author for the Austrian Panel on Climate Change (APCC).

Responsibilities

• Research group leader Economics and Policy for Sustainability

Research interests

Political economy of social-ecological transformation; eco-social policy, planning & strategy; industrial policy; universal basic services & foundational economy; post-growth; linking production and consumption; system-of-provision.

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

• Transforming essential provision systems through eco-social corridors (HABITATION-CORRIDORS)

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 SOEE5098 Introduction to 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: political economy of social-ecological transformation; eco-social policy, planning & strategy; industrial policy; universal basic services & foundational economy; post-growth; linking production and consumption; system-of-provision.

Research groups and institutes

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

Current postgraduate researchers

• Tom Webb (he/him)