Climate Change and the Political Economy: Social Inequality, Economic Pathways, Rule of Law and Political Mobilization

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change has become not only an environmental challenge, but also a profound social, economic, and political phenomenon reshaping contemporary societies. Increasing climate risks intensify social inequalities, transform labor markets and production systems, challenge institutional capacities, and provoke new forms of political mobilization and governance. At the same time, the transition toward low-carbon development generates both opportunities and tensions related to economic restructuring, distributive justice, democratic accountability, and the rule of law. Recent debates in political economics emphasize that climate change cannot be understood solely through technological or ecological perspectives; rather, it must be analyzed through the interaction between power relations, institutional quality, economic incentives, and social conflicts.

This Special Issue aims to explore the multidimensional relationship between climate change and the political economy, with particular attention given to social inequality, economic transformation, governance mechanisms, institutional resilience, and collective political action. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions examining how climate policies influence income distribution, employment, regional disparities, migration, social vulnerability, and democratic participation. The issue also seeks to address how legal institutions, governance quality, corruption, and public trust shape climate adaptation and mitigation outcomes.

We especially encourage studies investigating the political mobilization surrounding climate transitions, including environmental activism, youth movements, green populism, civil society initiatives, and conflicts between economic interests and sustainability goals. Contributions may analyze national, regional, or global experiences, including comparative perspectives on developed and developing economies, post-socialist transitions, and emerging markets.

The Special Issue welcomes theoretical, empirical, methodological, and policy-oriented papers from economics, political science, sociology, law, public policy, environmental studies, and related disciplines. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are encouraged. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the socioeconomic consequences of climate change, green industrial policy, climate justice, governance of energy transitions, institutional determinants of sustainability, climate-related social movements, political polarization, and the role of international organizations in shaping climate governance.

By integrating perspectives from political economics and social sciences, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of how societies can pursue sustainable and inclusive development under conditions of climate uncertainty and accelerating global transformation.

Contributions need follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Oleksandr Dluhopolskyi
Prof. Dr. Viktor Koziuk
Dr. Tetiana Dluhopolska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• climate change
• political economy
• social inequality
• green transition
• rule of law
• climate governance
• economic transformation
• sustainability policy
• political mobilization
• environmental politics
• institutional quality
• energy transition
• public policy
• low-carbon economy
• sustainable development