SCIS Generel Working Papers

SCIS Working Paper | Number 77 | Power, Inequality and the Limits of Climate Reform: Rethinking South Africa’s Just Transition
Author: Crispian Olver | January 2026

This paper asks why an apparent consensus on a just transition has not (at least yet) consolidated into a permanent settlement and what this reveals about the relationship between institutions, power and equity (both procedural and distributional). Drawing on Political Settlements Theory (PST), the analysis argues that for climate and just-transition reforms to endure, the distribution of costs and benefits must broadly align with prevailing configurations of power.