Context/Theoretical framework
At this time of burgeoning pressures to deal with the evident and potential damage from climate change, it is obvious that how energy is obtained, developed, transmitted, and used, is under immense economic, social, and political pressures.
Amidst the massive shifts in power, profits, and rights in such changes, it is essential to explore and analyse how these shifts will challenge workers and their families; the best ways of achieving fair outcomes are very important. We are also interested in how the traditional conflict between labour and capital will develop under the new conditions of the green transition.
This Themed Collection seeks to identify ideals and practical policies for fair outcomes through articles, including critical case studies. In September 2025, the Themed Collection will be introduced with a Guest Editorial which will draw together the strands of the important matters evident in the Themed Collection as a whole.
Article topics might include the following:
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financial costs and risks of energy transition for workers
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international comparative studies of transition with programmes to support jobs and energy transition costs
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decarbonisation in coal basins and other centres of fossil fuels and socio-economic alternatives
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changing energy and intergenerational duty of care
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potential for cooperation for a just energy transition – trade unions, the labour movement, and the ecological movement
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energy and transport costs as a challenge for and a tool of control of the working class
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technological, economic, or social change?
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decentralisation, democratisation, and socialisation of energy policy
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sustainable change for local and regional economies
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environmental class and economic-political tensions in the Anthropocene
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achieving a global energy transformation
Other articles which highlight the threats and challenges posed by energy transition or demonstrate the links between social, economic, and environmental policy are also encouraged, as are international comparative studies of transition.
Submission process and deadlines
The completed Themed Collection will be published in Volume 36(3) (September 2025) of The Economic and Labour Relations Review (ELRR), although individual articles can be published earelier, once they are accepted, in FirstView (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-economic-and-labour-relations-review/firstview).
Step 1: Abstract submission
Prospective authors are invited to submit an abstract.
Please do not hesitate to discuss your proposed article with Guest Editor:
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Piotr Żuk <piotr.zuk@helsinki.fi>
Abstract submission deadline: 30 October 2024. Successful authors will be notified shortly after this date.
Step 2: Full paper submission
Full paper submission deadline: COB 30 April 2025.
Please see the journal’s instructions for authors preparing and submitting articles: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-economic-and-labour-relations-review/information/author-instructions.
Submission process
Articles should normally be no more than 8,000 words in length (Contested Terrains around 3,000–4,000 words)
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Submissions should conform to house style. The journal’s formatting and technical requirements can be found at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-economic-and-labour-relations-review/information/author-instructions (Please see pages on preparing and submitting material).
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Final papers should be uploaded to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/elrr.
Review process
All submissions will be double-blind peer-reviewed.
