Reassessing the Political Economy of Socialism through an Ecological Lens: A Comparative Intellectual History This project, based at Tampere and Münster Universities, explores whether the political economy of socialism—as developed in the Soviet Union—is compatible with ecological sustainability. While neoclassical and environmental economics have been examined from ecological perspectives, the political economy of socialism has been largely overlooked. The project also investigates the intellectual tradition that the political economy of socialism claimed to inherit: classical political economy (17th–19th centuries) and Karl Marx's critique of it. It asks why this tradition has proven more ecologically fruitful than the dominant economic paradigms of the 20th century. The project's relevance extends beyond historical inquiry, as contemporary Chinese economic thought continues to be influenced by the political economy of socialism.

2026

2030