Oscar Widerberg

Oscar Widerberg is an Associate Professor in Environmental Politics and Policy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), serving as Deputy Department Head of the Environmental Policy Analysis section at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). He is also affiliated with the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW), where he teaches and conducts research in political science. His work focuses on global governance complexities and sustainability, particularly in climate and environmental policy.

Education:

• PhD in Environmental Policy (2017), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• MSc in Environmental Science (2009), Utrecht University
• BSc in International Relations (2006), Malmö University

Research Interests:

Widerberg explores hybridity and complexity in global environmental governance, including multi-stakeholder partnerships, climate policy frameworks (e.g., Paris Agreement), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His recent work analyzes municipal decarbonization targets, non-state actor roles in sustainability transitions, and institutional interlinkages in climate-energy systems.

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator: Mapping International Climate Initiatives (2021–2021)
• Principal Investigator: Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework Analysis (2020–2022)
• Principal Investigator: International Cooperation Database (2019–2021)

Teaching & Roles:

He directs the Environment and Resource Management (ERM) Master’s program and teaches courses like Selected Issues: Global Environmental Governance. His work bridges academia and policy, with prior consulting for European institutions on energy and climate policy.

Labs & Teams:

Affiliated with the Multi-layered Governance in Europe and Beyond (MLG) group and actively contributes to the IVM’s research on climate policy, sustainability transitions, and global governance networks.