Research Area ESE - Economy, Society & Environment

The development of various physical infrastructures has long been regarded as a precondition for the economic development of countries and regions. More recently, however, a more differentiated picture has emerged; the extension of certain physical infrastructures, like transport or electricity networks, may cause damage to the environment and give rise to social concerns. Moreover, infrastructure provision in itself is no guarantee for efficiency or quality improvements unless it is embedded in a broader policy framework taking into account the sector as a whole and its interrelation with wider societal, environmental and economic goals.

The research area ‘Economy, Society, Environment’ (ESE) of the ICCR integrates the sectoral analysis in the fields of transport, electricity, water, postal services and telecommunication with research on sustainable development. This broad range of activities across sectors focuses on policy-making and policy contents in the European Union with a special emphasis on the societal, environmental and economic consequences of recent trends in infrastructure sectors, such as liberalisation/deregulation. Furthermore the ICCR analyses the societal responses to environmental change through the study of the actions, reactions and strategies of different actors.