A two-day workshop about the role of welfare policies and the opportunities to transform business models in order to achieve 1.5° lifestyles

Group photos of participating experts – 20^th June: welfare systems, left;
21^st June: business models, right (Photos: GreenDependent©)

On 20 and 21 June, GreenDependent Institute held a two-day expert workshop in the framework of its EU 1.5°C lifestyles project. The first day focused on the role of initiatives affecting social and welfare systems, while the second day focused on the need to transform current business models. Together with the invited experts, we covered 6 topics each day.

Welfare policy initiatives concentrated on working hour reduction; job guarantee; Universal Basic Services; public renovation programme for lowest performing buildings; free public transport and income ceilings.

Focus group discussions on welfare policy initiatives
(Photos: GreenDependent©)

On the topic of transforming business models, the main themes were state enforced choice editing; voluntary choice editing; direct/indirect state subsidies for low-carbon choices; higher taxes on resources and pollution; tax incentives for low-carbon R&D and public procurement for low-carbon products/services.

Focus group discussions on transforming business models
(Photos: GreenDependent©)

As an interesting feature, the workshops were conducted using the Delphi methodology: an interactive process that facilitates complex expert decision-making. First, each expert completed a short online questionnaire related to the desirability and feasibility of the 6 main themes mentioned above. This was followed by the face-to-face workshop where, during the morning, the experts discussed 3-3 topics in two focus groups, collecting pros and cons for each proposed initiative, and then the two groups presented their results to each other. They then all completed a second online questionnaire to monitor any changes in their opinions. After lunch, the discussion continued in small groups, where the focus was on broadening the understanding of the problems, listing barriers and solutions, after which a plenary presentation and reflection session followed. To conclude the methodology, a week after the face-to-face workshop the experts completed a third online questionnaire, which will be compared with the results of their previous ones and the international results in the upcoming analysis.

Participants presented the results of their focus groups to each other
and then filled in the second online questionnaire (Photos: GreenDependent©)

In the framework of the project "EU 1.5° LIFESTYLES: Policies and tools for mainstreaming 1.5° Lifestyles ", similar to the Hungarian, expert Delphi workshops are held in four other European partner countries (Germany, Latvia, Spain, Sweden) in the summer of 2023.

The event was held in the elegant ceremonial hall of MEMO House, to the great delight of our participants. The local, seasonal and mostly vegetarian goodies were provided by Fourbites. And of course the cake wasn’t forgotten this time either..

Ceremonial hall of MEMO and the 1.5° cake (Photos: GreenDependent©)

The event was held in the elegant ceremonial hall of MEMO House, to the great delight of our participants. The local, seasonal and mostly vegetarian goodies were provided by Fourbites. And of course the cake wasn’t forgotten this time either.

GreenDependent will calculate the carbon footprint of the workshop in the usual way, and compensate it with planting native fruit trees.

Experts represented several Hungarian institutions and organisations at the event, from different fields, such as policy and decision makers, politicians (e.g. head of departments from ministries, mayors of municipalities); academics (researcher, university professors); companies and business representatives; business associations and civil society organisations, NGOs.

You can watch a short video about the workshops HERE.