Sustainability and Energy Transition: From a Socioeconomic Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

The global shift toward sustainable and resilient energy systems represents one of the most pressing challenges of the twenty-first century. Energy transitions are not only technological endeavors but also deeply embedded in socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional contexts. As societies confront climate change, resource scarcity, and widening inequalities, it becomes increasingly urgent to examine how energy transformation interacts with social welfare, economic growth, and governance structures. Addressing these interconnections requires multidisciplinary approaches that bridge economics, environmental studies, policy analysis, and social sciences.

This Special Issue, “Sustainability and Energy Transition: From a Socioeconomic Perspective”, seeks to advance this dialog by foregrounding the human dimensions of energy systems. The issue aims to deepen understanding of how sustainability pathways can be shaped by the interplay of markets, state policies, and community practices. Contributions are invited that interrogate the dynamics of energy demand and supply, distributional effects of clean energy policies, social acceptance of technological innovation, and the role of global value chains in shaping national strategies. Such perspectives are critical for rethinking how energy transition policies can be designed to enhance both environmental outcomes and social equity.

Within the journal’s broad scope, this Special Issue emphasizes the integration of energy and environmental economics with societal concerns. It encourages scholarship that not only analyzes the macroeconomic implications of energy transition but also highlights micro-level impacts on households, firms, and labor markets. Comparative studies across regions, as well as country-specific analyses, are particularly welcome, as they shed light on the diverse pathways and barriers that characterize the global pursuit of sustainability.

Key themes include, but are not limited to, energy transition and socioeconomic resilience; policy design for equitable decarbonization; technological innovation and digitalization in energy systems; circular economy approaches to energy efficiency; and the governance of sustainable development under conditions of uncertainty. By bringing together research from multiple disciplines, this Special Issue seeks to provide fresh insights into how societies can navigate the complex trade-offs and opportunities inherent in the shift toward sustainable energy futures.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability and energy transition, including the distributional consequences of policy interventions, equity implications, and the interplay between energy access and social welfare.
2. Policy design and governance frameworks that support sustainable energy transitions, such as carbon pricing, renewable energy subsidies, green finance mechanisms, and international cooperation strategies.
3. Technological innovation and diffusion in energy systems, with emphasis on renewable energy technologies, energy storage, smart grids, digitalization, and the integration of artificial intelligence in energy management.
4. Economic modeling and empirical assessment of energy transitions, including the use of DSGE models, ARDL approaches, and machine learning techniques to capture the dynamic interplay between economic growth, energy demand, and environmental sustainability.
5. Behavioral and cultural perspectives on energy consumption, focusing on household decisions, consumer preferences, and shifts in societal norms toward low-carbon lifestyles.
6. Global and regional comparative analyses, exploring how different institutional, geographical, and developmental contexts shape the pathways of sustainability and energy transition.
7. Interdisciplinary approaches to resilience and adaptation, addressing the interaction between climate risks, energy security, and socioeconomic stability.
8. Case studies and applied insights, particularly those that provide evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and communities navigating the challenges of energy transformation.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Yugang He
Guest Editor

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 short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

• sustainability transitions
• energy transition pathways
• socioeconomic resilience
• climate and energy policy
• low-carbon development
• renewable energy integration
• green innovation and technology diffusion
• just transition and equity
• circular economy strategies
• global governance of sustainability