We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest article, “Assessing the neoliberal state in the bioeconomy: evidence from Germany,” authored by Maria Proestou, Nicolai Goritz, and Peter H. Feindt. in the Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy journal.

The article addresses a central debate in bioeconomy research: to what extent the bioeconomy can be understood as a neoliberal political project. While existing scholarship has often characterized the bioeconomy as driven by market-oriented logics that commodify nature and limit social inclusion, it has also been marked by conceptual ambiguities and inconsistent empirical findings.

To advance this debate, the authors develop a novel analytical framework comprising 13 criteria of a neoliberal state, structured along four key dimensions of environmental governance: regulative, administrative, discursive, and authoritative. Applying this framework to the German bioeconomy, the study provides a systematic assessment of state activity and its alignment with neoliberal principles.

By offering empirical grounding, the publication contributes to a better understanding of the political economy of the bioeconomy and its implications for achieving transformative and sustainable change.

The full article can be accessed here.