State and Ecosocial Transitions: Latin America - Europe Dialogues

This workshop proposes a systematic discussion on the role of the State in ecosocial transitions. In addition to the analysis of experiences in various countries in Latin America and Europe, we propose to advance on two theoretical fronts: (1) the development of the idea of an ecosocial State and (2) the foundations of an ecological theory of the State.

In sociological and political economy literature, different types of States have been discussed (e.g., the liberal State, the developmental State, the welfare state, the neoliberal State). But so far, despite some initial efforts, there is a lack of reflection on the emergence of a new type of State that we could define as an ecosocial state. To address this issue, in addition to clarifying the attributes of an ecosocial State and its policies (green industry and jobs, decarbonization planning, social protection mechanisms, prevention, and reparation), it is also necessary to change the point of view of the State, focusing on the conflicts that this process generates and on the functions of production and reproduction of the environment in which the State is involved.

Rather than 'Greening the State' in a new version of ecological modernization, we propose to reimagine our political communities in a non-anthropocentric way, facing the climate emergency and the ecological crisis seriously and radically. The emergence of an ecological theory of the State could help to think through these issues, trying to recover key elements of the theorizations of the State together with new insights from ecological thought. In this urgent need to rethink the State, it is also necessary to include institutional designs that contribute to generating bridges between the anthropocentric assumptions of law, centered on environmental justice and the right to a healthy environment, with the incorporation of ecocentric assumptions, centered on an ecological justice that extends rights to nature.

The workshop is structured in six panels and organized in two days, plus an introductory and a synthesis session. During the first day, the three panels will try to make a diagnosis of state policies that promote ecological transitions, analyzing cases in different countries and examining the relationships of cooperation and conflict that emerge with the market and civil society. On the second day, the debate will take on a more conceptual and theoretical tone to propose the basis for an ecological theory of the State and law and the formulation of an ecosocial state.