Elias Isaksson is a researcher in Political Science and is doing research on ecological economics, planning, and transport politics.
Researcher
Political Science
Main Research Areas
• Post-growth/Degrowth
• Environmental Policy
• Transport Policy
• Critical Methodologies
Current Research
My current research concerns how alternative economic models (such as degrowth, post-growth, and doughnut economics) can be applied in local planning contexts. The research is interdisciplinary and, in addition to political science, includes ecological economics, sociology, and human geography.
I also have a longstanding interest in what shapes environmental and transport policy, primarily questions of power and language in relation to overarching ideas about sustainability, mobility, and growth.
I received my PhD from Lund University with the thesis “Between Growth and Sustainability: The Construction of Sustainable Mobility in Swedish Transport Policy” (2023), and I am affiliated with the Swedish Knowledge Centre for Collective Mobility (K2).
Since January 2026, I have been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Transport Research Unit at Umeå University (TRUM).
Project
“Sustainable Urban Transformation Beyond Growth? Possibilities and Challenges in Employing Alternative Economic Models in Local Planning” (funded by Formas).
Previous Project
"What kind of transport-efficient society do we want to achieve? Visions, definitions, decissions and measures" together with LU, MU, K2 and Trivector (financed by The Swedish Energy Agency).
I am not currently teaching, but I have previously taught at Lund University, Mid Sweden University, and Umeå University, primarily on Swedish public administration and environmental politics.