Illicit Labour and the Photovoltaic Industry (ERC)
Funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Illicit Labour project involves an international consortium composed of the National Research Council and Queen Mary University of London. The project, coordinated by Dr. Carlo Inverardi-Ferri, introduces a study on the links between climate change mitigation and illicit economies, and the related implications for ecological governance. It investigates the production networks of the photovoltaic industry to reveal the dark side of the green energy sector in various geographical sites (China, Ghana, and India). In doing so, it advances new theoretical perspectives on risk, vulnerability, and mitigation, considering the interaction between the green energy sector and the illicit economy.
- May 5, 2025: Just Worlds Seminar
- April 1, 2025: Book Launch: The Politics of Migrant Labour
- March 25, 2025: Seminar: New urban geographies. Airbnb, long-term rentals and inhabitants
- July 4, 2024: Seminar: Work conflict and collective organization in the face of technological change
- March 15, 2024: 2 Graduate Fellowships
The research focuses on several fundamental questions:
- How do we explain the economic, political, and cultural processes that link illicit labour and ecological governance?
- What labour regimes in extraction and production processes support the production of solar panels?
- How do informal energy markets function?
- What social and environmental challenges emerge from the end of the life cycle of photovoltaic modules?
- And finally, how can this analysis reveal new ways to provide clean and affordable energy for all?
Climate change mitigation and illicit labour are two significant challenges of modern times, whose interconnection raises growing concerns for society, such as energy insecurity, toxic waste production, and labour exploitation. However, this relationship has surprisingly received limited systematic attention in labour studies. Through an analysis of the photovoltaic industry, a sector of relevance for climate change mitigation, “Illicit Labour” sheds light on those actors, practices, and processes operating in the shadows of sustainable development.
