Dr. Franziska Wolff

Special Expertise

Research focus: International, European and German environmental policy; governance

Themes

• Policy analysis and advisory work, evaluation
• Governance of transformations/ transitions, strategies and instruments, fundamental issues of environmental policy
• Sustainable landuse: agro-/biodiversity, agriculture, forests bioeconomy, nature-based solutions
• Green Economy: Sustainable consumption, corporate sustainability
• International environmental and sustainable development policy

Key Projects

• Options for achieving the European net-zero land take target (2023-2025)
• Social nature - practical perspectives and integrated policy modules (2022-2025)
• Scientific support of the implementation plan for the National Bioeconomy Strategy (2021-2024)
• Nature-based solutions for climate protection: market-based instruments to support climate-friendly soil management (2021-2023)
• Joint implementation of 2030-Agenda /SDGs and Paris Agreement (2020-2022)
• Social aspects of environmental policy – Analysis and environmental policy implications (2020-2023)
• Holistic management of energy- and resource efficiency in companies (MERU) (MERU) (2019-2022)
• Evaluation of public participation – Improving planning and approval of major environmentally-relevant projects through participation of citizens and environmental organisations (2019-2022)
• Service contract on the future EU Environment Policy (2019-2021)
• Service contract to support the Evaluation of the 7th Environment Action Programme (2018-2019)
• Preparing and supporting the German input into the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) (2018-2020)
• Shaping ecological change – Implementing and updating the Integrated Environmental Programme 2030 (2017-2020)
• Thinking ahead regarding sustainable consumption: Evaluation and advancement of measures and instruments (2017-2020)
• Developing international soil law: Institutional analysis and policy recommendations (2016-2018)
• Environmental policy in the 21st century – approaches to novel challenges (2015-2018)
• Developing core elements of a concept of transformative environmental policy (2015-2017)
• TRAFO 3.0 - Model for governing social-ecological transformation processes in practice: development and application in three fields of application (http://trafo-3-0.de/) (2015-2018)
• The transition to a Green Economy: Necessary structural changes and conditions of success for an implementation in Germany (2014-2017)
• Global Value: Assessing the Impacts of Multinational Corporations on Global Development and Value Creation (2014-2016) (www.global-value.eu)
• Quality before quantity – strategies and potentials for the sustainable use of biomass (2013-2014)
• Sufficiency in everyday life - concept, needs, potentials and governance options (2012-2013)
• Examining the consistency of environmental objectives and measures for the purpose of environmental reporting (2012-2015)
• Globalands – Resource-efficient land use/ Organising a Global Sustainable Land Use Standard  (2011-2015)
• Implementing the Nagoya Protocol in Germany (2011-2012)
• Market-based instruments for ecosystem services (2009-2013)

Professional Training and Career

• 2023: Promotion („The making of international policy instruments: Exploring the shift towards economic instruments in the international governance of biodiversity and ecosystem services“)
• Since 2014: Acting Head of the Environmental Law & Governance Division of the Öko-Institut
• Since 2012: Deputy Head of the Environmental Law & Governance Division of the Öko-Institut
• Since 2001: Researcher in the Environmental Law & Governance Division of the Öko-Institut
• 2000-2001: Project collaboration at German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS)
• 1993-2000: Studies in Political Science and Economics, Universities of Freiburg and Glasgow

Language Skills

English, French