Dissertation: Circular economy promises green futures, but leaves social justice behind
In his dissertation, Master of Social Work Kang Liu examined what sustainable economy transitions represented by the circular economy mean for social work by analysing academic literature, expert perspectives, and policy documents.
The research found that circular practices can create jobs, improve local environments, and strengthen community engagement. Yet these benefits are far from guaranteed. In many cases, circular activities rely on unsafe or informal labour, exclude vulnerable groups from decision-making, or shift environmental and economic risks onto low-income communities. Health risks linked to recycling processes and uneven distribution of benefits between regions were also observed.
These mixed outcomes reveal a central problem: the circular economy is widely discussed as if it automatically supports a fair and sustainable society, but in practice its social effects are highly conditional and often contradictory.
Meanwhile, the social dimension is routinely overshadowed by technological and economic goals. Because current circular strategies focus on materials and markets, they rarely address deeper issues such as inequality, power relations, or the needs of disadvantaged populations. As a result, even well-intentioned initiatives can unintentionally reproduce existing injustices.
How social work can reshape the transition
The dissertation proposes a new framework for involving social work in sustainable economic transitions. Social workers can: Evaluate who benefits and who is harmed by the transitions; Adapt policies and projects to better support inclusion; Interrupt harmful policies and practices that worsen inequality; and Co-construct fairer models together with communities, businesses, and policymakers.
This approach positions social work not only as a safety net during economic change but as an active force in shaping futures that are both environmentally and socially sustainable.
Kang Liu defends his doctoral dissertation “The Circular Economy–Social Dimension Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work in Sustainable Economy Transitions” on 15 December at 12:00. Opponent is Professor Pekka Jokinen (University of Tampere) and custos is Professor Kati Turtiainen (University of Jyväskylä, Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius).
The language of the event is English. The dissertation event can be attended at Ulappa-sali, Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius.
The dissertation has been published as part of the JYU Dissertations series of the University of Jyväskylä and is available here.
