Aurore Fransolet is a senior researcher in ecological economics, holding the Just Transitions Chair at the Université libre de Bruxelles and a postdoctoral position at Sciences Po Paris. She develops a research agenda on the governance of just transitions from a post-growth perspective, focusing on the making of a "social-ecological state" — one capable of addressing intertwined social inequalities and ecological degradation in an integrated manner.

Aurore Fransolet

Description

With the overarching goal of contributing to deep societal transformations towards post-growth futures that are both socially just and ecologically sustainable, I have built a career at the interface between science and climate policy. This positioning has enabled me to develop a hybrid research profile that bridges academic scholarship with engagement in public and policy debates.

I have an interdisciplinary academic background, with degrees in environmental science (PhD, 2019 – International Prize for Francophone Theses in Futures Studies; MA, 2013 – Philippe Bourdeau Prize) and biochemistry (BA, 2010). After starting my career as a Climate Policy Expert for the Belgian Federal Climate Change Department (2019-2022), I returned to academia full-time in autumn 2022. I am currently based at the Socio-Environmental Dynamics Research Group (SONYA) at the Université libre de Bruxelles and at the Center for Economic Research (OFCE) at Sciences Po Paris.

Rooted in ecological economics, my research adopts a trans- and interdisciplinary perspective that combines qualitative and mixed methods with forward-looking approaches drawn from the field of (critical) futures studies. This work builds on a decade of fundamental and applied research that initially focused on the governance of the low-carbon transition and gradually expanded to address the broader just transition agenda, as justice concerns gained prominence in climate debates. 

I conceptualize the “just transition” from a post-growth perspective as a holistic social-ecological project that addresses social inequalities and ecological degradation in an integrated manner. This approach recognizes the structural interdependence between social and ecological challenges, and calls for the transformation of the social state into a “social-ecological state” capable of delivering integrated responses. From this foundation, I investigate the making of such a social-ecological state, focusing on the institutional arrangements, political dynamics, and policy instruments that shape it. Initially centered on the Belgian multi-level governance system, my empirical work increasingly engages with comparative perspectives within the European context.

Current Research Activities 

I currently coordinate the project Coping with Climate Debt through Just Transition (COGITO), an interdisciplinary research initiative jointly led by ULB and VUB, aimed at developing and analyzing alternative governance scenarios for a just transition to carbon neutrality and climate resilience in the metropolitan context of Brussels by 2050.

At Sciences Po Paris, I work with Prof. Éloi Laurent as part of the EU Joint Action PreventNCD to develop a European “Well-Being Economy Toolbox,” presenting a diverse set of policy instruments aimed at promoting human well-being within planetary boundaries at multiple levels of governance across Europe.

In parallel, I actively engage in policy-oriented research initiatives that aim to advance public debates on the just transition in Belgium and beyond. Notably, I co-edited the Report of the High Committee for a Just Transition for the Belgian Federal Minister for Climate, and took part in a collective reflection on building social-ecological protection in Belgium for the Federal Public Service (FPS) Social Security.

Starting in autumn 2025, I will lead the five-year project Governing Just Transitions from the Top: Barriers and Levers to Align Urban Polluter Elites with Sufficiency Corridors, as part of the ULB-VUB Just Transitions Chair (SWIFFT Collective).
 

RESEARCH AREAS 

  • Sustainable welfare and eco-social policies 

  • Ecological economics 

  • Political economy 

  • (Critical) futures studies 

  • Urban studies

 
Teaching and activities
TEACHING AND ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES 

Beginning in 2025-2026, I will teach the course Greening the City (6 ECTS) as a guest professor in the joint Master’s programme in Urban Studies offered by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). This course builds on the invited lectures I regularly give on social-ecological inequalities and just transitions at different universities, across a range of programs (environmental science, economic and social policy, architecture, etc.) and levels of instruction (undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education).

I also supervise Master’s theses and contribute to the mentoring of PhD research projects related to my areas of expertise.

 

 
Research projects

Current Projects

  • 2025-2030 – Governing Just Transitions from the Top: Barriers and Levers to Align Urban Polluter Elites with Sufficiency Corridors, SWIFFT Collective (research activities starting autumn 2025)

  • 2025-2027 – Unravelling Societal Tipping Points and their Linkages to Social-Ecological Inequalities: Dynamics into a Just Transition in Belgium by 2050 (EQUALTIP), Belgian Climate Centre (research activities starting autumn 2025)

  • 2022-2025 – Coping with Climate Debt through Just Transition: Exploration and Analysis of Scenarios for Brussels (COGITO), Innoviris Prospective Research 2022

 
Past Projects
Publications

A complete publication list is available via ORCID and ResearchGate.

Selected Publications 

 

Mail: aurore.fransolet@ulb.be

Office: A.3.16 (Usquare)

Postal address: Université libre de Bruxelles (cp 273), Avenue FD Roosevelt 50, B-1050 Brussels
Updated on July 22, 2025