The name of the Sustainable development research group of the Arctic Centre is now Northern political economy (NPE) research group. This name has been in use by one the research teams in the research group since 2010.

– Our research still connects to sustainable development, but
the new name identifies our research focus better, tells research professor
Monica Tennberg who is the leader of the research
group.

Political economy is the study of connections
between power, wealth and well-being. The research is social-science based and focus
especially on everyday life in the European Arctic region. Current climatic,
environmental and socio-economic changes in the Arctic and related consequences for
peoples, communities and livelihoods in the region as well as ways to mitigate and
adapt to these changes make political economy an important, topical perspective for
research. As a whole, the research group is engaged in research that critically
investigates social and political dimensions of development in the Arctic.

– Current research topics include e.g. Arctic energy and climate
politics, corporate social responsibility in the Barents region, knowledge produced
in and on the region, and participation in megaprojects, says Monica Tennberg.

The research group is currently finalizing a book for Routledge
on social and cultural sustainability in the Arctic. The research group works as a
collaborative network of researchers working in the Arctic Centre and in different
faculties of the University of Lapland and University of Eastern Finland.

More information:

Websites of the research group: https://www.arcticcentre.org/EN/research/northern-political-economy

Northern political economy blog: https://www.arcticcentre.org/EN/research/northern-political-economy/Blog

Research professor Monica Tennberg
040 019
2005, monica.tennberg(at)ulapland.fi