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Case Studies

Trans4Demo will focus on 8 different European Country case studies, with a view to provide a higher-level, 'top-down' perspective, beginning with an overview of the Pan-European situation and aiming to provide explanations in the selected country case studies. In several cases, populist parties have exerted significant influence on sustainability transitions from within the government—this is evident in Poland, Italy, and Israel. In contrast, in Germany, populists have largely mobilised around sustainability transitions while operating from the opposition. Additionally, there is a hybrid group of countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and The Netherlands, where populist parties have played more minor roles, either as junior coalition partners or support parties.

In each country's case study, Trans4Demo will identify the primary areas of dispute and conduct an in-depth analysis using a nested case structure. For every nested case, we will explore the factors contributing to populist success—such as perceived recognitional, distributive, or procedural injustices—assess the influence of key actors, examine the different avenues for protest, and evaluate the resulting effects on liberal-democratic practices and sustainability transitions. We will also consider the associated temporal dynamics, including the element of urgency.

Moreover, the project will carry out a thematic-oriented and actor-based cases’ study, which is aimed to offer a 'bottom-up' perspective and their selection is driven by the explanatory search for innovative sites and repertoires of pro-democratic actions to be studied using thick descriptions. Three key areas will be at the baseline of these studies:

  • Citizens councils - In this case the project will address the intergenerational justice issue, we will focus on the integration and socialisation of younger generations into the political order and democratic culture.
  • Prefigurative activities - Such as eco villages, alternative food networks and communal renewable energy systems (cases from Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Italy and Norway).
  • Mobilisations through art - To provide a platform to examine how art and artists are integrated into the political sphere, particularly highlighting their potential to shape political identities through often transgressive expressions.