Shaping the Green Transition
Countries across the world are increasingly turning to industrial policy as their primary strategy for transitioning from fossil fuels and it has been translated into the contemporary policy architecture for the ‘green transition’. And this pressing topic was at the centre of discussion at the CIVICA Honours Seminar held at Bocconi in January with the participation of students from Bocconi, Hertie School, IE University, SGH Warsaw School of Economics and LSE.
The CIVICA Honours Seminars offer an immersive and intensive 3/5-day learning experience to master's students across the CIVICA alliance. They aim to ensure students' engagement in addressing current global issues and be an opportunity for students to engage, network, and foster a shared sense of belonging within the CIVICA community.
During the 4 days in Milan, students analysed key industrial sectors targeted by contemporary green industrial policies - such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and renewable energy – and explored cases of green industrial policy across the world. “The seminar aimed to equip students with the tools needed to understand and evaluate green transition in a global perspective. Course sessions explained industrial and environmental policy in national and transnational governance and surveyed green transition initiatives by the public and private sectors worldwide,” explains Grace Ballor, course coordinator together with Alexandros Kentikelenis.
To apply the insights gained through the course, students formed into groups to develop a presentation delving deeper on a topic covered and presented it to the rest of the class at end of the Seminar. “Encouraging participation from students in class discussion enriched the learning experience for everyone since this cohort of students was quite diverse. Seeing their research accomplishments within their projects was very rewarding for me, and I hope for them as students too,” says prof Ballor. “CIVICA offers students the unparalleled opportunity to study at a new institution in another country with peers from all over the alliance. And CIVICA offers faculty the opportunity to teach incredibly diverse groups of students with unique and fresh perspectives.”
“This was my first experience with CIVICA and it was great,” says Isabella Urbano-Trujillo, student from Hertie. “My studies have more of a data science focus and this program opened my vision. It gave us a good overview of the different perspectives around the world – and made me think about how it would be so constructive for nations to be more collaborative, and less competitive, when it comes to industrial policies.”
“I was the only law student of the group so it was good to mix with political scientists, economists, and others – such exchanges are so vital for both our academic and personal growth and development,” says Robin-René Hartung from IE.
“I study management and it is important to get perspectives also from the social sciences so this was a great opportunity,” says Giorgia Jane Strippoli, student at Bocconi. “The topic of sustainability is today such an important issue for whatever sector or environment you study for. And CIVICA really provides some great opportunities to meet, and exchange with, people with different backgrounds.”