University of Florence (Lead partner) – Italy
University of Bordeaux – France
Oslo Metropolitan University – Norway
University of Amsterdam – Netherlands
IIASA International Institute on Applied Systems Analysis – Austria
TÁRKI Social Research Institute – Hungary
Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade – Serbia
European University Institute – Italy
Social Platform – Belgium
PEP Partnership for Economic Policy – Kenya
LSE London School of Economics and Political Science (Associated partner) – United Kingdom
Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (an affiliated entity) – Italy
Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES)
Reconciling productivity, equality, sustainability, and participation to drive the transition towards sustainable human development.
PEP has joined a consortium of distinguished research and educational institutions from across Europe in partnership for the Sustainability Performances, Evidence, and Scenarios (SPES) project. This three-year initiative (2023-2026) aims to improve policymakers' understanding of economic growth, human well-being, and sustainability.
The research produced through the project is intended to provide policymakers with robust data to shape strategies for effective, sustainable human development. By examining past, present, and future sustainability trends, SPES strives to equip decision-makers with the knowledge needed to guide the transition toward sustainability effectively.
PEP's role in the SPES project is key to ensuring that the insights developed are globally applicable. In line with the European Commission's (EC) Global Approach to Research and Innovation strategy, SPES aims to create a stronger connection between Europe and the Global South, focusing on areas such as green transition, digital transformation, and sustainable growth projects. As such, through PEP's experience in supporting policy-engaged research in developing countries, SPES will be able to explore the application and implications of sustainability transition models in the Global South.
Advancing sustainable human development
Funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Programme, the SPES project aims to bridge productivity and growth with inclusiveness and environmental protection. Its mission is to produce impactful research that provides the necessary evidence to shape policies promoting shared prosperity and universal well-being. To achieve this, the project will concentrate on four foundational pillars of sustainable human development:
- Productivity, aiming for efficient use of economic, human and natural resources through innovation;
- Equality, fostering equal political, economic, social and cultural opportunities for all;
- Sustainability, aiming to avoid, reduce, and adjust to climate change and ensuring the protection, restoration, and improvement of the environment;
- Participation and empowerment, enabling citizens, social groups and communities to be active agents of their future.
Rethinking measures of prosperity
For too long, policy decisions have focused too narrowly on GDP growth as the only measure of prosperity. Increasingly, there is a recognition that economic growth does not necessarily lead to social inclusion or environmental sustainability.
Although existing economic, social, and environmental policies in Europe aim to drive inclusive and sustainable growth, a knowledge gap persists in achieving this objective. To close this divide, PEP, in collaboration with its partners (see below), will help generate innovative evidence and pioneering concepts. This crucial information will bolster both European and global policies, aiding their transition toward achieving sustainable human development.
SPES research: question and methods
How can productivity, equality, sustainability, and participation be reconciled to help drive the transition towards sustainable human development in Europe?
The SPES project will tackle this question through extensive, collaborative research focusing on the following four axes:
- Concepts and meanings, by dealing with the debates, theories, and narratives on sustainable human development, to find a common 'framework' for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders active in this field.
- Measurement frameworks and methods, by dealing with the debate on beyond GDP indicators to measure sustainable human development;
- Transition performances, by dealing with the analysis of past, current, and future performances of the sustainability transition;
- Policies, by dealing with possible policy implications for integrating productivity, equality, sustainability, and participation.
SPES research approaches will combine desk-based, quantitative, and participatory methods while jointly performing literature and policy reviews, as well as statistical, case-study, and scenario analyses.
The SPES project is expected to impact policymaking and advocacy processes at different levels by reaching different target groups - EU policymakers; National/local policymakers; Qualified European and global stakeholders; Scientific community; and the General public.
SPES partners
Publications
Policy briefs
Policy Brief no.8
Sustaining climate action: towards synergy politics for durable political support
Published November 2025
Policy Brief no.7
Bridging the Feasibility Gap in Energy Transitions: Policy Insights from Multi-Country Stakeholder Consultations
Published October 2025
Policy Brief no.6
Effective, Fair and Inclusive Climate Policies in Europe and in the Global South Challenges and way forward
Published September 2025
Policy Brief no.5
Reducing Climate Risks through Just Transition Policies
Published September 2025
Policy Brief no.4
Generating a just and green transition Aligning innovation and competitiveness policies in Europe with sustainability priorities
Published September 2025
Policy Brief no.3
Seeing Sustainability Differently: New Metrics and Ethical Data Governance for a Just Transition
Published May 2025
Policy Brief no.2
Redefining progress to go beyond GDP in Europe
Published April 2024
Policy Brief no.1
The “winds of change”: Fostering Sustainable Human Development in Europe
Published January 2024
Working papers
SPES Working paper 8.4
The transition from below: Aspirations, problems and policy solutions across the globe
Published November 2025
SPES Working paper 9.2
Trade-Offs in Public Support for Climate Action? The Role of Environmental and Economic Shocks
Published September 2025
SPES Working paper 10.2
Beyond Technical Feasibility: Cross-National Stakeholder Perspectives on Energy Transitions
Published July 2025
SPES Working paper 8.2
Biased Perceptions of Energy Consumption in the European Union
Published May 2025
SPES Working paper 7.3
The distributional effects of European climate policies in the Global South
A model-assessment for Egypt
Published May 2025
SPES Working paper 6.2
Vulnerabilities in Europe During Times of Transition
Published May 2025
SPES Working paper 7.2
Understanding and assessing CBAM: vulnerability and impacts in the EU
Published March 2025
SPES Working paper 9.1
Transitioning towards Harmonious Living: A Society-Economy-Nature model with heterogeneous agents, finite resources and politics (SEN-HARP) for Europe-27
Published February 2025
SPES Working paper 8.1
Environmental sustainability from below: Public opinions across the Globe
Published February 2025
SPES Working paper 4.2
Public Attention Towards Sustainability in the EU: An Exploration of Google Trends Datas
Published January 2025
SPES Working paper 10.1
Sustainable Energy Futures: Transition Scenarios and Instruments in Selected Case Study Regions
Published October 2024
SPES Working paper 6.1
European energy divide: exploring determinants and dynamics of energy poverty
Published July 2024
SPES Working paper 7.1
The functioning and socio-economic impacts of the EU Emission Trading System: updated evidence and insights
Published July 2024
SPES Working paper 2.1
The “winds of change”: the SPES framework on sustainable human development
Published September 2023
Focus and Advocacy Papers
SPES Focus on Work Package 6
Review of the most likely risks and shocks in Europe
Published May 2025
SPES Focus on Work Package 3
Beyond the numbers: what composite indices reveal – and conceal – about trade-offs and synergies in sustainability transitions
Published April 2025
SPES Focus on Work Package 7
A GVAR analysis of the macroeconomic effects of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the Global South
Published April 2025
SPES Focus on Work Package 5
Mapping the policy mix in Europe: the case of energy efficiency in the residential sector
Published October 2024
SPES, ToBe, WISE Horizons, WISER and MERGE Advocacy Paper
A European Agenda to Navigate Uncertain Times: How to steer the EU towards Wellbeing for All Now and in the Future
Published July 2024
SPES Focus on Work Package 3
Assessing measurement challenges and sensitivity in transition performance indicators
Published June 2024
Reports
Assessing measurement challenges and sensitivity in transition performance indicators
Published June 2024
Report on Policy mapping
Conceptualizing “SPES” policy mix(es) for just twin transitions: Policy mapping on Science, Technology, and Innovation initiatives in Europe and other countries
Published March 2024
Report on mapping, harmonising and integrating novel data sources for research purposes
Part I: Mapping Innovative Data Sources Across the Many Dimensions of Sustainability Research
Published January 2024
Part II: Integrating traditional and innovative data sources
Published January 2024
Policy frameworks for sustainability transitions: Mapping approaches in the European Union and the Global South
Co-authored by PEP
Published November 2023
Report on mapping indicators and composite indices relevant to measure transition
performances
Published September 2023
Annex I Description of relevant existing indicator frameworks
Annex II Methodological information on 15 short-listed indicator systems
Podcast
The SPES podcast series Directions: Navigating Beyond-GDP Futures is available on Spotify, and Youtube Music. It will soon be available on Apple Podcast.
Directions explores the interconnections between economic growth, human flourishing, and sustainability.
In each episode Andrea and Toa deal with SPES main research topics and together with their guests and try to unpack it in a way that is easy to understand and grasp especially for the general public and non-academic listeners.
Funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101094551
