We are delighted to welcome James Jackson as a Visiting Doctoral Student in the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics from April-June 2022. James is a political economist visiting from the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI). His research lies at the intersection of fiscal, monetary and environmental policy.

His doctoral thesis examines the barriers to decarbonising the automobile sector in the UK and Germany, as both countries transition to electric vehicles. The research includes semi-structured interview data with key stakeholders in the UK and Germany, a document analysis and data analysis of trends in the automobile market.

Whilst at the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics, James will be working alongside Dr Mark Doidge on the environmental impact of the English Premier League, determining the links between elite football and climate change. The purpose of the research is to investigate a feature of the environmental debate that has received markedly little attention and to draw upon the insights of key organisations, including the FA, the Premier League and Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

James’ broader research interests include the politics of debt and inflation and low carbon transitions, ‘green’ central banking, green finance and post-capitalist critiques, such as post-growth and degrowth