CESSS - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Social Science

Environmental- and climate problems pose serious challenges to society and the need for social change and sustainable transformation has been emphasized by science as well as policy institutions such as the United Nation. Social science research contributes with crucial knowledge and expertise necessary for a transformation of society towards a sustainable future.

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Social Science (CESSS) constitute a platform that brings together and creates synergies between environmental and sustainability researchers within the social sciences. The aim is to strengthen social science research about environmental and sustainability issues at Örebro University. CESSS emerges from a long history of initiatives and collaborations within the social sciences at Örebro University that lays a solid foundation for the environment’s multidisciplinary collaboration. 

CESSS works to enable a constructive and inclusive research environment that facilitates long-term research collaboration and development across disciplinary boundaries. CESSS is led by Karin Gustafsson, associate professor in sociology, and Carolin Zorell, associate professor in political science.   

Using Transformative agency as a thematic umbrella concept, CESSS conducts research within three interrelated themes

- Theme 1; Public engagement concerning environmental and sustainability issues
- Theme 2; Environmental governance and the state
- Theme 3; Knowledge production, environmental expertise, and learning

CESSS’s work includes:
- To support the development of multi-disciplinary research projects and programs of high quality.
- To facilitate research collaborations in the field of environmental and sustainability studies, among both university researchers and external actors.
- To arrange internal CESSS conferences and international research workshops.
- To organize a multi-disciplinary seminar series open for researchers from other disciplines than sociology, psychology political science, as well as for practitioners with an interest in environmental and sustainability social science. More information on this will be posted here later.

The research environment collaborates with ESERGO - Environmental and Sustainability Education Research Group Örebro. ESERGO works with empirical and theoretical studies on environmental and sustainability education, with specific focus on the ethical and political aspects of this education.