The Politics of Green Restructuring: How Green Coalitions Recast Growth Models Toward Low-Carbon Economies and Societies

Luca Michele Cigna

Across advanced economies, the transition toward low-carbon growth models proceeds unevenly. Some countries lead in green technology, industrial reconversion, and sustainable energy deployment, while others remain dependent on carbon-intensive sectors and energy sources. This project investigates why such divergence occurs, and what political coalitions drive or hinder processes of green transformation. Taking a comparative political economy (CPE) lens, it explores how the interplay between growth models, politics of organized interests, and institutional settings shapes distinct “varieties” of green capitalism. Empirically, the project combines principal component analysis (PCA), comparative mapping, and qualitative case studies (Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy) to examine how “green” and “fossil” interests negotiate the costs and opportunities of decarbonization, and how these dynamics influence national climate policies. By connecting political coalitions to growth model restructuring, it aims to enrich theories of capitalist transformation in the age of climate crisis and contribute to understanding how states reconcile economic prosperity and ecological sustainability.