Platform Cleaners

The Potentials and Risks of Platform-mediated Cleaning Services in Germany

The rise of online platforms in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis has led to the emergence of new forms of work, such as clickwork or online delivery services. This project focuses on the implications of digital platforms on domestic cleaning services – a thus far under-explored realm of platform work. Cleaning services are mostly provided by female, low-skilled workers with migration background. These types of services are often undeclared, which does not only undermine the functioning of the welfare state, but also brings major risks for both workers and clients. The emergence of platforms mediating household cleaning might increase opportunities for flexible work and formal employment. However, it also opens up new challenges in terms of labor market regulation and working conditions. Our aim is to investigate the potentials and risks of platform-mediated cleaning services both from the perspective of cleaners and clients, narrowing down to the context of Germany. 

Due to the explorative character of this research project, a mixed-methods approach is applied, including: 1) a netnographic study of several platforms offering household cleaning services in Germany; 2) a set of semi-structured interviews with cleaners and clients of the major platform in Germany; 3) a complementary online survey among cleaners using the major platform. The results build an in-depth understanding of worker realities in the field of platform-mediated household cleaning services, as well as the selected platform infrastructures. They are expected to provide valuable insights for developing policy recommendations for how to regulate these kinds of services to make them attractive both for workers and clients. 

Environmental Inequality in the EU

This project conducts an empirical analyses of socioeconomic disparities of air quality and other environmental hazards in the EU.

Ein Vermögensmodell für Österreich

Ziel des Projektes ist die Erstellung eines makroökonomischen Modells, das einserseits VGR-konsistent ist und andererseits die empirische Verteilung von Einkommen und Vermögen in einer Volkswirtschaft beinhaltet. Die Modellgleichungen bilden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen der Verteilung von Einkommen und Vermögen und makroökonomischen Kenngrößen ab. Mit Hilfe eines solchen Modells lassen sich sowohl gesamtwirtschaftliche Auswirkungen als auch Verteilungseffekte wirtschaftspolitischer Maßnahmen evaluieren.

Digitialisierung und Verteilung

Ziel des Projektes ist die Erstellung eines makroökonomischen Modells, das einserseits VGR-konsistent ist und andererseits die empirische Verteilung von Einkommen und Vermögen in einer Volkswirtschaft beinhaltet. Die Modellgleichungen bilden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen der Verteilung von Einkommen und Vermögen und makroökonomischen Kenngrößen ab. Mit Hilfe eines solchen Modells lassen sich sowohl gesamtwirtschaftliche Auswirkungen als auch Verteilungseffekte wirtschaftspolitischer Maßnahmen evaluieren.

Sustainable Growth and Financial Markets

The aim of the research is to construct a novel macroeconomic model which incorporates the endogenous dynamics of the creation, valuation and distribution of financial assets and their repercussions on the real economy. We calibrate the model to recent economic developments in the Eurozone, use it to assess the sustainability of this current growth path and evaluate policy options to stimulate sustainable growth.

CASCADES

The CASCADES Project will study how climate risks in extra-European regions will cascade into Europe through material trade, financial and geopolitical channels.

Climate Financial Risk Survey

The project addresses the following questions:

• What is the size of future physical and transition related to climate change for finacial markets (stocks, bond and bank loans)?

• Do financial market prices adequately cover these costs?

• Do these costs represent a risk for the stability of the financial market?

Politik & klimainduzierte Risikien - WINDOW

Abstract English: Policy makers are faced with the task of facilitating the transition to a low-carbon future while minimizing the costs of climate-induced risks. The project seeks to support the necessary changes of households, businesses and financial actors by developing a flexible analysis tool to identify climate-induced financial risks.

Abstract German: Politische EntscheidungsträgerInnen sehen sich mit der Aufgabe konfrontiert, den Übergang in eine kohlenstoffarme Zukunft zu ermöglichen und gleichzeitig die Kosten, die aus klimainduzierten Risiken entstehen, zu minimieren. Das Projekt versucht, die dafür notwendigen Veränderungen von Haushalten, Unternehmen und FinanzakteurInnen durch die Entwicklung eines flexiblen Analysetools zur Identifizierung klimainduzierter finanzieller Risiken zu unterstützen.

RiskFinPorto

Abstract English: Das Projekt RiskFinPorto analysiert die Auswirkungen der Dekarbonisierung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft auf dem österreichischen Finanzsektor. Die daraus resultierenden Erkenntnisse bilden eine wesentliche Grundlage für die weitere Politikgestaltung und befähigen Finanzmarktakteure aktiv an der Transformation hin zu einer nachhaltigen, klimafreundlichen und resilienten Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft mitzuwirken. 

Abstract German: The RiskFinPorto project analyzes the effects of the decarbonisation of the economy and society on the Austrian financial sector. The results form an essential basis for further policy-making and enable financial market players to actively participate in the transformation towards a sustainable, climate-friendly and resilient economy and society.

Mistra Financial Systems

How can financial systems be put to better work for the sustainable development of society? Mistra Financial Systems is a MISTRA-funded research program that has been developed in response to this research question. Through a total of 28 Research Projects, divided into five research groups, carried out by more than 40 researchers, and over a period of 4 years, the Program aims to investigate both possibilities and limitations in this regard. Especially, the Program seeks to investigate what kinds of changes that are needed to make financial systems more (or the most) conducive to social and environmental sustainability.

“Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe” (PERCEIVE)

Description: Evaluation of the regional performance of the EU Cohesion Policy and institutional quality. Development of parametric, non-parametric and spatial econometric models to provide a quantitative assessment of the drivers of regional convergence and income inequality in the EU.

SCP-HAT-Countries

The project aims at supporting two targeted countries through: 1.) strengthening of the national institutional and technical capacities needed to create a culture of SCP across governments and societies. 2.) the use of sientific methodologies and tools to support the design and implementation of strategic SCP policies and instruments, identififying high-impact sectors and areas of intervention: 3.) access to expert networks and existing solutions to successfully implement policy instruments.

Earth Observation for Supply Chains (EO4SC)

This project develops a pilot method that will be the first to integrate satellite earth observation data with global supply-chain models of biomass production, trade and consumption.

OECD MF IV

Comparing material footprints for selected countries applying in the OECD ICIO and the Eurostat RME method.

MF-GLOBE

German Abstract: Das Hauptziel des MF-Globe Projektes ist es, globale Material und Energieflüsse zu analysieren, die mit Produktions- und Konsumaktivitäten in Verbindung stehen. Mittels einer innovativen Verknüpfung bestehender globaler Datensätze aus Ernährung, Energie- und Handelsstatistiken sowohl in physischen als auch in monetären Einheiten wird die MF-GLOBE globale Material- und Energieflüsse so umfangreich, detailliert und robust berechnen können, wie kein Wirtschaft-Umweltmodell zuvor.

English Abstract: The MF-Globe project develops the first trade linked, multi regional physical suppy/use and input-output accounts for all biomass and energy commodities. Thereby, MF-Globe significantly enhances the robustness of material and energy footprint methods and delivers a fully transparent and urgently needed empirical basis for identifying possibilities to transform productions, trade and consumption patterns towards a low-carbon, resource efficient and circular economy.

WKÖ Modul 3

In this final module of the study „Resource use of the Austrian economy“, focus is put on the upcoming debate of a ‘re-industrialisation’. Cornerstones for a resource-efficient reindustrialisation strategy are developed, the environmental and socio-economic performance of Austrian manufacturing sectors is analysed from a re-industrialisation perspective and concrete policy measures are discussed that could support such a transition of the Austrian economy.

UN Hot Spots

The objective of this project is to develop a harmonized methology for hotspots nalyses of national economics and value chains (for instance, which sectors or activities causing the most environmental, and/or social impacts).

Europaradar 2018

Update the Europaradar for the Ökosoziales Forum.

Water Accounts Brazil

The aim of this target is to place biodiversity into the mainstream decision-making framework, helping to give it greater visibility amongst policiy-makers when formulating country development strategies and planning progress. This traget considers all bioversity values.

MFA X

Weiterentwicklung der Webseite www.materialflow.net und Update der MFA Datenbank.

FINEPRINT

The FINEPRINT project (www.fineprint.global) will develop a spatially explicit global material flow model to perform fine-scale assessments of Europe's global environmental and social impacts.

ERC Consolidator Grant

UNEP MFA Manual

The research Group Sustainable Resource Use will contribute to the UN Environment project for esteblishing a Global Material Flow Accounting Manual which is coordinated by the CSIRO. The contribution includescontributing to the outline of the manual, drafting of sectionsof the manual and running a case study in country building capacity at a National Statistical Office.

Bonn BioMRIO

Modellrechnungen mit Biomasse-MRIO und Publikation der Ergebnisse.

BioWay - Pathways towards a prosperous and just EU bioeconomy

The EU bioeconomy is a promising sector in the context of societal challenges such as climate change, fossil fuel dependencies, novel material use and potential food scarcities, and could play a key role in a socio-ecological transformation of the EU society. However, an ambiguous physical carrying capacity, large land related greenhouse gas emissions at the global level, overconsumption in Western societies and generally low income levels in the socio-economic context, among others, call for an assessment framework that supports a prosperous and just development of the EU bioeconomy, i.e.  increasing its contribution to societal needs within environmental limits. BioWay will explore the concept of societal needs and develop an innovative approach to monitor and assess the social, ecological and economic performance of bioeconomy sectors in fulfilling the societal needs. We will apply a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the aim to identify efficient transformation pathways within the EU bioeconomy.

FoodClim - Reducing the contribution of food waste to Austria’s GHG emissions

FoodClim has started in April 2016 as a 2,5 year research project within the 8th call of the Austrian Climate Research Program.

The present project will make an important contribution to the debate on climate change in the broader context of sustainable consumption by opening up a political as well as scientific discussion on possible ways to reduce the amount of food waste and thus the related emissions. Thereby, the project aims to stimulate further reflections about the environmental impact arising from food waste in order to i) contribute to emission reductions within the Austrian food sector; and to ii) help Austria attain a 80-95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary project intends to contribute to a better understanding of the role and potential of Peer Supported Processes and local food sharing initiatives in combating food waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a national context. Moreover, the project will bring additional insights on the quantity of GHG emission reductions potential associated with a top-down estimate of potential food waste reduction in Austria.

DeuRess - Resource use in Germany

The research group Sustainable Resource Use has been granted by the German Federal Environmental Agency to prepare the 2015 and 2017 versions of the report “Resource use in Germany”. In this report, we will analyse historical trends of resource extraction, trade and consumption in Germany in the past two decades. We will also investigate to what extent the economy and its economic sectors achieved a de-coupling of economic growth from natural resource use. The first report “Resource use in Germany” will be launched end of 2015/beginning of 2016.

High-dimensional statistical learning: New methods to advance economic and sustainability policies

The project aims to investigate how the largely separate research streams of Bayesian econometrics, statistical model checking and machine learning can be combined and integrated to create innovative and powerful tools for the analyses of big data. Empirical applications center on topical issues in the realms of economic development, social equality and environmental sustainability.

ULTIMOB

ULTIMOB verfolgt einen umfassenden, offenen und innovativen Ansatz in einer breiten Konsortialzusammensetzung, die die Struktur des österreichischen Mobilitätssystems sehr gut widerspiegelt. Damit ermöglicht ULTIMOB, dass im Projekt entwickelte Lösungen unmittelbar ins gesamte Mobilitätsystem diffundieren und damit eine große Hebelwirkung i.S. einer verkehrlichen Wirksamkeit erreicht wird.

Attitudes towards more Sustainable Food Consumption in Vienna

Agriculture is one of the biggest human-made factors influencing nature. With an increasing urban population, also the Viennese people are having an increasing impact on the environment through their food consumption. In order to reduce the negative consequences this consumption has for the environment, a change in behavior is necessary.

The objective of this project on the one side is to determine what the Viennese consumption pattern of organic, regional and meat food products is currently. This information is the pretext to the main purpose, which is to find the main factors that are influencing the Viennese population in adopting a more sustainable food consumption behavior. In order to obtain these data, for each of the three factors this project conducts a survey based on the theory of planned behavior among the Viennese population.

CLIC

Abstract English: The overall objective of the transdisciplinary research project CLIC is to identify evaluation tools for testing, implementing, validating, and sharing innovative "circular" funding-, business- and governance models for the systemic adaptive reuse of heritage and landscape that demonstrate the economic, social and environmental benefits and opportunities in terms for long-term economic, cultural and environmental wealth.

Abstract German: Das übergeordnete Ziel des transdisziplinären Forschungsprojekts CLIC ist die Identifizierung von Evaluierungsinstrumenten zum Testen, Implementieren, Validieren und Teilen innovativer "zirkulärer" Finanzierungs-, Geschäfts- und Governance-Modelle für die systemische adaptive Wiederverwendung von Kulturerbe und Landschaft, die die ökonomischen, sozialen und ökologischen Vorteile und Möglichkeiten in Bezug auf langfristigen wirtschaftlichen, kulturellen und ökologischen Reichtum aufzeigen.