Institute for Political Ecology

The Institute for Political Ecology (IPE) is a Zagreb-based Croatian research and educational organization focused on the political, social, and economic dimensions of ecological change. Established on 10 June 2014, it operates as a think tank rather than as a conventional commercial brand, producing research, organizing educational activities, and contributing to public debate on environmental policy and alternative development models. IPE’s work is grounded in political ecology, an interdisciplinary approach that examines how environmental transformation is connected to power, inequality, institutions, and economic organization. The institute treats ecological crises not only as technical or conservation problems, but also as questions of social justice and democratic decision-making. Its thematic interests include climate justice, ecological economics, sustainability indicators, public transport, degrowth, post-growth economics, and the democratization of infrastructure and development choices. A central element of IPE’s intellectual positioning is its support for degrowth and post-growth perspectives. These approaches question the assumption that continual economic expansion is the appropriate measure of social progress and instead explore ways to organize economies around ecological limits, social equality, care, public goods, and democratic participation. Through research and international partnerships, IPE contributes to discussions about how societies might move toward more sustainable and equitable models of development. The institute’s output includes policy-oriented publications, research projects, educational programs, and public events. One cited publication is Post-Growth Future(s): New Voices, Novel Visions, co-published with the Green European Foundation. IPE has also worked on sustainability indicators and on Our Railways, a study examining the democratization of public transport. These activities reflect its effort to connect theoretical research with practical questions concerning public services, infrastructure, and policy evaluation. IPE also organizes the Croatian Green Academy, a recurring event intended to provide a regional platform for green political discussion. The academy has been held since 2010 and brings together debates concerning ecological politics, social transformation, and democratic alternatives. The event predates the institute’s establishment and forms part of the wider intellectual and civic environment in which IPE operates. The organization has reported a team structure comprising researchers, junior researchers and fellows, an academic council, and a managing board. Its work is supported through cooperation with international foundations and partner institutions, including the Green European Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. IPE is also associated with the International Degrowth Network and contributes to transnational debates within the degrowth movement. IPE’s public identity is therefore defined by research and knowledge production rather than by consumer products. Its principal audiences include policymakers, researchers, civil-society organizations, educators, activists, and members of the public interested in ecological transition and democratic governance. The institute’s role is to develop and circulate concepts, evidence, and forums that can inform environmental policy and broader debates about the future of society.

The Institute for Political Ecology is a Croatian ecology and sustainability think tank headquartered in Zagreb. It was established on 10 June 2014 to conduct interdisciplinary research on environmental policy and to support debate about alternative models of social and economic development. Its institutional identity combines research, education, public engagement, and cooperation with civil-society and foundation partners. IPE’s intellectual framework is based on political ecology, which links environmental change to questions of power, inequality, ownership, governance, and democratic participation. Rather than treating sustainability as a narrowly technical objective, the institute examines how ecological pressures affect different social groups and how environmental policies can either reduce or reproduce inequality. Climate justice and the distributional consequences of ecological change are therefore important elements of its work. The institute also places ecological economics and degrowth at the center of its program. Its research asks whether social progress should continue to depend on economic expansion and considers alternatives based on ecological limits, equality, public goods, and democratic control. This orientation connects IPE to wider European and international debates on post-growth transitions. The institute is associated with the International Degrowth Network and contributes to transnational advocacy and academic discussion in this field. Among the projects and publications associated with IPE is work on sustainability indicators, intended to broaden the way social and environmental progress is assessed. The institute also contributed to Our Railways, a study focused on public transport and the possibility of making transport systems more democratic. These projects illustrate IPE’s practical interest in public infrastructure and in policy tools that can support more equitable and sustainable forms of development. IPE co-published Post-Growth Future(s): New Voices, Novel Visions with the Green European Foundation. The publication forms part of the institute’s effort to present new perspectives on economic organization and to connect research with European policy conversations. Its partnerships also include the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, reflecting its position within a network of organizations concerned with environmental politics, social justice, and democratic alternatives. The Croatian Green Academy is another significant part of the institute’s public activity. The academy has been held since 2010, before IPE was founded, and functions as a recurring regional platform for green political discourse. It provides a setting for exchanges among researchers, civil-society actors, political participants, and others engaged with ecological transition and democratic change. The organization’s structure has been described as including 21 team members, junior researchers and fellows, an academic council, and a managing board. Vedran Horvat has been identified as director of the managing board. The institute receives support through partnerships with international foundations, including the Green European Foundation, which is supported by the European Parliament. No information in the supplied sources establishes a commercial parent company, stock-market listing, or consumer-product business. IPE’s historical significance lies in its role as a Croatian and regional platform for political-ecological research. Its activities connect local questions—such as public transport, environmental policy, and social inequality—to broader international discussions about climate justice, sustainability, degrowth, and democratic governance.

• 2014

  Institute for Political Ecology established

  [1]Institute for Political Ecologyen.wikipedia.org

  IPE is established in Zagreb on 10 June 2014 as an ecology and sustainability research and educational organization.

• 2010

  Croatian Green Academy begins

  [1]Institute for Political Ecologyen.wikipedia.org

  The Croatian Green Academy begins as a recurring platform for regional green political discourse and later becomes an important public-facing activity associated with IPE.

• Post-growth research enters the institute’s publication program

  [1]Institute for Political Ecologyen.wikipedia.org

  IPE develops research and publication work on ecological economics and post-growth futures, including the co-publication Post-Growth Future(s): New Voices, Novel Visions.

• Institute joins international degrowth networks

  [1]Institute for Political Ecologyen.wikipedia.org

  IPE becomes associated with the International Degrowth Network and contributes to international advocacy and academic discussions concerning post-growth transitions.

An independent ecology and sustainability think tank positioned at the intersection of environmental research, social justice, democratic participation, ecological economics, and degrowth theory.

• Publication

  Post-Growth Future(s): New Voices, Novel Visions

  A publication co-produced by IPE and the Green European Foundation that presents perspectives on post-growth development and alternative economic futures. It reflects the institute’s interest in ecological economics, social justice, and policy approaches that do not treat continuous economic expansion as the sole measure of progress.

• Research study

  Our Railways

  A study examining public transport and the democratization of railway systems. The project represents IPE’s application of political-ecology perspectives to infrastructure, public services, participation, and sustainable mobility.

• Policy research

  Sustainability indicators research

  Research concerning indicators for evaluating sustainability. The work seeks to support broader and more socially informed assessments of progress than measures based solely on economic output.

• Educational and public-policy forum · 2010

  Croatian Green Academy

  A recurring regional event focused on green political discourse, ecological transformation, and democratic alternatives. Held since 2010, it provides a platform for education, exchange, and debate among participants concerned with environmental and social change.

• 2010Croatian Green Academy

  Croatia · Southeastern Europe

  IPE organizes the Croatian Green Academy as a recurring platform for green political discussion and regional exchange on ecological, social, and democratic transformation.

  Outcome. The academy became an ongoing public-facing forum associated with green political discourse in the region.

  Source

• Adoption of degrowth and post-growth as core research orientationsStrategy

  Background

  IPE’s mission and research address ecological change, social inequality, climate justice, and the limits of growth-centered economic models.

  Action taken

  The institute developed research, publications, and international cooperation around degrowth, ecological economics, and post-growth transitions.

  Aftermath

  This orientation positioned IPE within international degrowth networks and broader debates about alternative development models.

  Source

• Expansion of work from research into education and public dialogueStrategy

  Background

  The institute’s stated role combines interdisciplinary research with educational activity and efforts to shape democratic solutions for political and economic transformation.

  Action taken

  IPE supported publications, research projects, public events, and the Croatian Green Academy as complementary channels for influencing policy and public debate.

  Aftermath

  The organization operates as a research, educational, and convening institution rather than as a commercial product brand.

  Source

1. 1Institute for Political Ecologyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Institute for Political Ecology official websiteipe.hr