CO2 emissions are growing extremely fast in Rapidly Developing Countries, which will account for 99% of the global emissions increase by 2035 (BP 2014). Energy demand is set to increase by 75% by 2035 and (if no change incurs) will largely depend on fossil fuels (IEA 2013). In response to these concerns, Rapidly Developing Countries are currently seeking to tap its vast renewable energy potential (IRENA 2013). This shift to renewable energy provides a unique opportunity to study socio-technical transition to low-carbon technologies. Transitioning to renewable energy requires policy reform, infrastructure investment, citizen mobilization, and smart financing mechanisms. The RE-DEV project will examine the conditions for the take-up of renewable energy in Rapidly Developing Countries and, by doing so, uncover its consequences in terms of global CO2 emissions. Drawing on a comparative study of four selected country-cases (China, India, South Africa, and Morocco), this project will offer an in-depth analysis of: (a) regulatory frameworks and existing financing mechanisms, (b) the limits and potential of multilateral climate cooperation, (c) the state of vertical/horizontal transfer of know-how. The country sample responds to a most-dissimilar-systems research design. To gather evidence, this project will employ the following methods: semi-structured interviews with policy makers, questionnaires and a participatory assessment with public/private stakeholders. As a result of this, the RE-DEV project will build knowledge on how to facilitate a sustained transition to renewable energy in Rapidly Developing Countries. I put a strong emphasis on three aspects: the interdisciplinary character of the project, its intersectoral nature, and the crucial issue of its timing – it needs to be carried out now, when domestic energy transitions and the post-Kyoto climate change deal (due at Paris COP 21) are at a crucial point of their development.

DignityFIRM contributes to improving conditions of irregular migrants (IM) working in Farm to Fork (F2F) labour markets in four EU member states (IT, NL, PL, SP) and two associated countries (MO, UA). To derive structural recommendations for improvements, we analyze regulatory infrastructures that govern these conditions distinguishing five influential spheres of stakeholders at the EU, national, and local levels, and at the level of employers and IM themselves. The focus on IM in F2F labour markets is timely given the instrumental role of these industries in securing EU livelihoods, the high systemic dependency on IM that coincides with persistent group vulnerabilities. By providing knowledge and innovative tools to improve regulatory infrastructures, this project enhances IM’s access to basic rights and services, and improves their precarious working conditions. Doing so, we contribute to systemic resilience of F2F industries and the EU’s ambitions for social and economic transformation. Our project adopts a mixed-method research approach, that includes a special focus on the division of labour in F2F markets with respect to gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, health and safety. Doing so, we provide new knowledge on 1) the multidimensional regulatory infrastructure and the conditions of IM therein, 2) their access to basic rights and social services, and 3) employer reliance on IMs. We build on our analysis of the current situation, and work towards innovative solutions by developing Dignity tools in co-creation with stakeholders across the five stakeholder spheres. We propose group sensitive policy measures at EU, national, and local level, across four policy domains: migration management, EU pillar social rights, labour market sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Doing so, we create a pathway for impact towards upholding IMs’ access to rights and services and simultaneously addressing labour market needs and wellbeing of host communities.