Pathways towards just transitions in the Global South

Gather, Johanna, Prowse, Martin and Seussler, Daniel (2025) Pathways towards just transitions in the Global South. Energy Research & Social Science, 127. ISSN 2214-6296

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Abstract

As global decarbonization efforts accelerate, ensuring a just transition has become a critical objective, especially in low- and middle-income countries where climate action intersects with entrenched development challenges. This study uses a realist review and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 80 interventions across 76 studies to identify the configurations of financial, institutional, and governance conditions that contribute towards just transitions in developing countries. We find seven distinct causal pathways, with robust funding and strategic planning emerging as universally necessary conditions. Surprisingly, factors often considered essential—such as stakeholder engagement and policy alignment—are not consistently present. Complementary fractional logistic regression reinforces the centrality of funding and planning, while underscoring the limited predictive power of single variables. Our findings highlight the configurational and context-dependent nature of just transition outcomes. By illuminating diverse pathways to inclusive decarbonization, this article contributes to bridging the empirical gap in understanding transition policy in developing countries.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	just transitions,realist review,qualitative comparative analysis,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	20 Aug 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	25 Aug 2025 00:29
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100178
DOI:	10.1016/j.erss.2025.104293

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