Ruth Bookbinder
Biographic Data
| ID | 298912 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ruth Bookbinder |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ruth |
| FAMILY NAME | Bookbinder |
| SIGNATURE | BOOKBINDER R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Leeds |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5154-605X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Just transitions in global economies? Union and worker understandings of justice in Germany and South Africa compared
This article draws on fieldwork in Germany and South Africa, including interviews with unionists, environmental activists, and policy-makers, to compare experiences and perspectives of workers and communities affected by climate policies and the transition to industrial decarbonisation. There is broad support for a just transition in Germany, with workers and their unions actively promoting climate action – though the notion of ‘just transition’ …
Charge towards green finance ignores risks of nature commodification
The urgent need for up‐scaled finance has become central to the climate and nature recovery discourses worldwide. With most existing investments coming from public sources, closing the financing gap has become the overpowering argument for calling for private investments into nature restoration and conservation. This paper aims to evidence empirically the alarmingly little attention that is being paid, in the policy sphere, to the risks of nature…
Politicising energy transitions
Proposals to reduce South Africa’s dependence on coal-generated electricity have repeatedly stalled despite growing internal and international pressure to decarbonise electricity generation. Where there is a growing body of scholarship that identifies barriers to an energy transition in the country, studies that explore how these barriers emerge and are perpetuated are comparatively limited. This paper contributes to this scholarship by looking b…
Towards a Relational Sociology of Retrofit
Decarbonisation of residential buildings ('retrofit') is vital if nations are to meet declared net zero targets. This challenge is especially acute in the UK, which has some of the least energy efficient homes in Europe. Yet, to date, sociology has paid relatively little attention either to the urgency of this challenge or to its potential solutions. This article uses concepts from relational sociology to propose a complete reframing of the retro…
The possibility of a theory of change to tackle the climate crisis in a UK university
Purpose This paper aims to discuss the practical dilemmas of institutional change to tackle the climate crisis in a UK university, identifying key assumptions and issues that block meaningful change. The research was part of an initiative to define a theory of change (ToC) to meet the university’s institutional climate commitments. Design/methodology/approach The findings are based on interviews with members of an inter-disciplinary ToC working g…
Developing a relational approach to energy demand
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Landlords' accounts of retrofit
Climate change commitments and the current global energy and living cost crises require investment into energy efficiency in buildings. With one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, the energy intensity of buildings in the United Kingdom remains high compared to other countries. The adoption of energy retrofit measures can support tackling several social, economic, and environmental objectives. Scarce uptake of these is particularly evident wi…
Rethinking retrofit
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
The relational dimensions of renovation
Retrofitting the UK's housing stock is essential if the UK is to meet its climate commitments. Wider research has addressed how weaknesses in the drafting and implementation of retrofit policy have slowed progress in this area, including the tendency to treat homeowners as discrete, isolated decision makers. We contribute to this research by exploring the wider dynamics that underpin decision-making in and around households. We make this contribu…
The relational dimensions of renovation
Retrofitting the UK's housing stock is essential if the UK is to meet its climate commitments. Wider research has addressed how weaknesses in the drafting and implementation of retrofit policy have slowed progress in this area, including the tendency to treat homeowners as discrete, isolated decision makers. We contribute to this research by exploring the wider dynamics that underpin decision-making in and around households. We make this contribu…
Rethinking retrofit
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Developing a relational approach to energy demand
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Landlords' accounts of retrofit
Climate change commitments and the current global energy and living cost crises require investment into energy efficiency in buildings. With one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, the energy intensity of buildings in the United Kingdom remains high compared to other countries. The adoption of energy retrofit measures can support tackling several social, economic, and environmental objectives. Scarce uptake of these is particularly evident wi…
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
The relational dimensions of renovation
Retrofitting the UK's housing stock is essential if the UK is to meet its climate commitments. Wider research has addressed how weaknesses in the drafting and implementation of retrofit policy have slowed progress in this area, including the tendency to treat homeowners as discrete, isolated decision makers. We contribute to this research by exploring the wider dynamics that underpin decision-making in and around households. We make this contribu…
Who applies for energy grants
Most domestic energy retrofit policies in the UK are designed to incentivise economically rational consumers. Logically, this should mean that applicants to domestic energy incentives are those who can financially benefit the most from these subsidies. Here, we test this logic by asking the question ‘what types of households apply for domestic energy incentives in the UK?’. To answer this question, we systematically assess the characteristics of …
The possibility of a theory of change to tackle the climate crisis in a UK university
Purpose This paper aims to discuss the practical dilemmas of institutional change to tackle the climate crisis in a UK university, identifying key assumptions and issues that block meaningful change. The research was part of an initiative to define a theory of change (ToC) to meet the university’s institutional climate commitments. Design/methodology/approach The findings are based on interviews with members of an inter-disciplinary ToC working g…
Developing a relational approach to energy demand
In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approaches to energy [1]. Relational approaches to energy conceive of human behaviour as produced and reproduced by social relations and interactions, placing relationships at the centre of inquiry, as well as understanding these relationships in the context of infrastructure and the built environment. In t…
Landlords' accounts of retrofit
Climate change commitments and the current global energy and living cost crises require investment into energy efficiency in buildings. With one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, the energy intensity of buildings in the United Kingdom remains high compared to other countries. The adoption of energy retrofit measures can support tackling several social, economic, and environmental objectives. Scarce uptake of these is particularly evident wi…
Rethinking retrofit
The ‘retrofit’ of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable microgeneration measures in homes is a major focus for energy and climate policy. Yet despite policy interventions, few countries are achieving their residential decarbonisation targets. In this paper we argue that a core reason for this failure is the mainstream ‘rational actor’ framing of households, which guides energy efficiency policymaking. We introduce an alternative ‘re…
Politicising energy transitions
Proposals to reduce South Africa’s dependence on coal-generated electricity have repeatedly stalled despite growing internal and international pressure to decarbonise electricity generation. Where there is a growing body of scholarship that identifies barriers to an energy transition in the country, studies that explore how these barriers emerge and are perpetuated are comparatively limited. This paper contributes to this scholarship by looking b…
Towards a Relational Sociology of Retrofit
Decarbonisation of residential buildings ('retrofit') is vital if nations are to meet declared net zero targets. This challenge is especially acute in the UK, which has some of the least energy efficient homes in Europe. Yet, to date, sociology has paid relatively little attention either to the urgency of this challenge or to its potential solutions. This article uses concepts from relational sociology to propose a complete reframing of the retro…
Just transitions in global economies? Union and worker understandings of justice in Germany and South Africa compared
This article draws on fieldwork in Germany and South Africa, including interviews with unionists, environmental activists, and policy-makers, to compare experiences and perspectives of workers and communities affected by climate policies and the transition to industrial decarbonisation. There is broad support for a just transition in Germany, with workers and their unions actively promoting climate action – though the notion of ‘just transition’ …
Charge towards green finance ignores risks of nature commodification
The urgent need for up‐scaled finance has become central to the climate and nature recovery discourses worldwide. With most existing investments coming from public sources, closing the financing gap has become the overpowering argument for calling for private investments into nature restoration and conservation. This paper aims to evidence empirically the alarmingly little attention that is being paid, in the policy sphere, to the risks of nature…
Business (4 works) · Economics (3 works) · Engineering (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance (3 works) · Architectural engineering (2 works) · Climate change (2 works) · Computer Science (2 works) · Energy (signal processing (2 works) · Environmental Science (2 works)