In today’s world, defined by rapid technological advancements and an urgent need for sustainability, the Twin Transition—digital and green—are poised to deliver long-term environmental benefits and drive new economic growth. At the same time, they risk creating a green and digital divide that could slow progress and deepen inequalities among individuals, regions, and social groups.
The ST4TE project, led by the University of Thessaloniki, stands at the nexus of these two transitions, dedicated to fostering a future where cutting-edge technology and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. To this end, ST4TE adopts a multidimensional approach to study the relationship between the green, digital and twin transition and inequalities. In doing so, the project aims to provide a comprehensive view of the drivers of the Twin Transition (TT), the inequalities that emerge or are widened by the TT, and a set of policies to build greener, more equal and more productive societies.
What is the Twin Transition and their impact on inequalities?
The concept of the “Twin Transition” (TT) refers to the simultaneous pursuit of digital transformation and green transition that many economies and societies are undergoing.
The TT recognises that digital and green transformations are interlinked and can mutually reinforce each other. Digital technologies can play a significant role in achieving environmental goals by enabling smart grids, optimising energy use, and facilitating sustainable practices through data-driven insights. Conversely, the principles of sustainability can guide the development and deployment of digital technologies to ensure they are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
While the twin transition promises a more sustainable and technologically advanced future, it is essential to address the accompanying social and economic inequalities.
Policy drivers of the Twin Transition
The ST4TE project seeks to understand how existing inequalities influence policies for the green, digital, and twin transitions. The task on policy drivers, led by the EFIS Centre, focuses on understanding the various drivers of the twin transition (so-called policy drivers) and measuring progress in European regions to identify regional readiness and potential vulnerabilities. We will also examine how different interventions throughout the policy cycle can widen or reduce inequalities. Ultimately, we will explore how the design and implementation of policies for different transitions can reinforce or mitigate each other’s effects.
Over the next year, EFIS Centre along with University of Thessaloniki and University of Ferrara will develop six case studies from various European regions, with two case studies for each type of transition: green, digital, and twin. The selection of case studies follows the different country performances (top performers, growing performers and lagging countries) based on the country classification from the Transition Performance Index, along with the Digital Economy and Society Index, the Green Transition indicators of the Single Market Scoreboard and the Eco-Innovation Index. Each case study will focus on a priority topic under analysis, such as skills, jobs, income, or intersectional inequalities.
As a final step, EFIS Centre will perform a meta-analysis of the findings from all the case studies and present them in a final report. This report will provide a comprehensive overview of (i) the inequalities influencing the policy cycle, (ii) the synergies and mutual effects on policy design, and (iii) the impact of policy mixes on widening or mitigating inequalities.
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Stay tuned on developments related to the ST4TE project and the policy drivers case studies on the ST4TE website, available here: https://st4te.eu/about
