How can institutions remain just, legitimate, and protective in an ecologically finite world? This project develops a theory of institutional robustness — the capacity of public institutions to preserve their essential functions of protection, prevention, and care while adapting to social and environmental disruption. Combining insights from climate science, political sociology, and legal theory, it compares how three governance systems — Belgium’s fragmented federalism, Switzerland’s cooperative confederalism, and South Africa’s postcolonial, multi-level democracy — respond to the intertwined pressures of climate risk and social inequality.
Through comparative analysis and sustained dialogue with African and European scholars, the project identifies the principles of fair and adaptive governance required for the socialecological transition. The STIAS residency (January–September 2027) will offer the time and intellectual space to complete the South African case study, consolidate the theoretical framework, and prepare a book manuscript. Beyond academic outputs, the project contributes to a shared reflection on how institutions — North and South — can sustain justice, trust, and collective meaning in an age of profound uncertainty.