Philipp Wagner

Philipp Wagner is a Doctoral Researcher at the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute in Freiburg, Germany, and a PhD candidate in the DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group "Renewable Energies, Renewed Authoritarianisms? The Political Economy of Solar Energy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)" since 2023. He maintains significant affiliations with the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) at the University of Tunis and the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich.

• Arnold Bergstraesser Institute (Primary Affiliation)
• Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM)
• Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC)
• dis:orient e.V. (Member)
• DAVO (Member)

Wagner's research program critically examines renewable energy transitions through the lens of political power, authoritarian resilience, and democratic participation. His work demonstrates how renewable energy infrastructure projects in the MENA region often replicate colonial power dynamics and reinforce authoritarian governance structures rather than creating democratic spaces for meaningful participation. He has developed a distinctive analytical framework connecting energy politics with authoritarian practices, showing how green energy transitions can paradoxically strengthen non-democratic regimes through new forms of control over resources and political spaces.

His recent publications reveal significant patterns across energy infrastructure development, highlighting how transnational green energy projects frequently prioritize geopolitical and economic interests over genuine democratic participation and environmental justice. Wagner's work on the EU-Maghreb energy partnerships demonstrates systematic exclusions of local communities from decision-making processes, despite rhetorical commitments to participation and sustainability.

• Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarship recipient (2017-2022) for binational German-French master's degree
• Analyst at adelphi research gGmbH (2022-2023)
• Teaching Assistant in Political Science at University of Freiburg (2020-2021)

Wagner actively engages with civil society organizations through dis:orient e.V. and contributes to public debate on climate policy through blog posts and media appearances. His research is conducted within the framework of the DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group (2022-2028), which provides significant resources for his fieldwork in Tunisia and collaborative research across European and North African institutions.