Planetary Choices

In the latest episode of Beyond Neo-liberalism, our host Hagen Schulz-Forberg is joined by political scientist and executive director, Fabrizio Tassinari, as we explore his work at European University Institute’s School of Transnational Governance and his works on developing new forms of diplomatic training, suitable for an age of planetary polycrisis.Throughout the episode we explore questions of what it means to educate our future diplomats in times of planetary crisis, what is left of the old forms of transnational governance and what can guide future visions of global governance.Academic Reference: Fabrizio Tassinari, Hagen Schulz-Forberg; Rethinking Education for Transnational Governance — A Conversation with Fabrizio Tassinari. Global Perspectives 25 March 2026; 7 (1): 158897. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2026.158897Any Questions? Send us a textAny Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In our very first episode in our series Beyond Neo-liberalism, our host Hagen Schulz-Forberg sits down with political scientist Michael Zürn as they explore the intersections of global governance and international relations in the current political climate. The two discuss Zürn’s work with the analytical categories of NALFI (Normativity, Authority, Liberalism, Fragmentation, Inequality), democratic regression and the tensions between national democracy and transnational authorities.Are we moving beyond our traditional understandings of Global Governance? Do transnational authorities have too big of a grasp on national democracies? Are we moving towards a post-democracy understanding of international relations? If so, what will happen?Academic Reference:Michael Zürn, Hagen Schulz-Forberg; The Shifting Tides of Global Governance—A Conversation with Michael Zürn. Global Perspectives 2 January 2026; 7 (1): 159010. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2026.159010Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In the final episode of Mapping the Planetary, Daniela Russ, Junior Professor at the University of Leipzig, joins hosts Hagen Schulz-Forberg and James Quilligan to explore the fascinating intersections of energy, science, and planetary thoughts in the early Soviet Union (1917–1945). Drawing on the pioneering work of scientists Vladimir Vernadsky and Boris Veinberg, the conversation reveals how Soviet thinkers imagined planetary transformation, in both scientific and political contexts and how these early renditions of planetary thinking, still resonate in today’s debates on the environmentalism, globalism and the Anthropocene.Academic Reference:Daniela Russ, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; Planetary Thought in the Early Soviet Union—A Conversation with Daniela Russ. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 150340. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.150340Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In episode 9 of Mapping the Planetary, hosts Hagen Schulz-Forberg and James Quilligan welcome Stefano Bartolini, Associate Professor at the University of Siena, whose research explores Political Economy, Social Economy, and the Economics of Happiness. Together, they ask a fundamental question: Can economic prosperity coexist with genuine human well-being and planetary sustainability? The conversation examines how modern economies might evolve beyond growth-centered models to embrace a more holistic understanding of prosperity, one that values social connection, leisure, environmental balance, and happiness as much as material wealth.Academic Reference:Stefano Bartolini, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; The Ecology of Happiness—A Conversation with Stefano Bartolini. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 150338. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.150338Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

Dagan Cohen, founder and creative director of CHANGENCY, as well as leader of the Amsterdam Donut Coalition, discusses his work of integrating art and design into societal changes with Hagen Schulz-Forberg and James Quilligan. They also cover the efforts of the open network of the Amsterdam Donut Coalition, how to implement The Doughnut Economics Model by Kate Raworth into the Amsterdam municipality, all while emphasizing the importance of imagination and community in addressing ecological, economic and social challenges.Academic Reference:Dagan Cohen, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; Community-based economics—A conversation with Dagan Cohen. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 147094. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.147094Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In episode 7 of Mapping the Planetary, we speak with Amanda Janoo, Economics and Policy Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll)—a global network of changemakers working to transform our economic systems. Janoo introduces WEAll’s core mission: to prioritize the wellbeing of people and the planet over traditional, GDP-centered models of growth. She outlines how rethinking economic frameworks and embracing participatory, goal-driven policy design can pave the way for more just, sustainable, and resilient economies. The conversation explores the meaning and importance of a “wellbeing economy,” the shortcomings of conventional growth metrics, and the potential of collaborative policymaking to shape a more equitable future.Academic Reference:Amanda Janoo, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; The Wellbeing Economy Alliance—A Conversation with Amanda Janoo. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144309. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144309Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In Episode 6 of Mapping the Planetary, Or Rosenboim, Professor of Contemporary History at Bologna University, joins us to explore the evolving concept of global order—from classical frameworks to contemporary debates about the future. Rosenboim invites us to see globalization not just as a process, but as a lens through which to interpret the world. She questions whether the idea of a fixed “world order” is itself misguided and provocatively suggests that embracing disorder could help us reimagine planetary politics. Is it time to rethink the very notion of “world order”? Could embracing disorder offer new approaches to global governance? And what lessons can today’s leaders draw from historical debates about global order?Academic Reference:Or Rosenboim, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; The Contested History of the Global—A Conversation with Or Rosenboim. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144299. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144299Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In Episode 5 of Mapping the Planetary, Jussi Parikka, Professor of Digital Aesthetics and Culture at Aarhus University, joins us to discuss his latest book, Living Surfaces: Images, Plants, and Environments of Media, published in 2024. Parikka’s work explores the intersections of media history, ecology, and geology, highlighting how digital infrastructures and media technologies both shape—and are shaped by—natural environments. We delve into how media operates not just as a tool or platform, but as an environmental force intertwined with the living surfaces of the planet. Parikka offers insights into how artistic, technological, and ecological practices converge in the age of planetary crisis.Academic Reference:Jussi Parikka, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; Planetary Surfaces and Computation—A Conversation with Jussi Parikka. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144290. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144290Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In Episode 4 of Mapping the Planetary, Ryan Bishop, Professor of Global Art and Politics at the University of Southampton, joins us to explain how the technological sphere increasingly shapes the geosphere of the Planet. Bishop unpacks the concepts of poly-scalar remote sensing and the concealed dimensions of tele-technology, reflecting on how media technologies intersect with governance and military power. How do remote sensing systems operating at multiple scales transform our relationship with the environment? In what ways might hidden tele-technologies constrain—or empower—individual and collective agency?Academic Reference:Ryan Bishop, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; The Planet and Military Tele-Technologies—A Conversation with Ryan Bishop. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144297. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144297Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In Episode 3 of Mapping the Planetary, we speak with senior advisors Andreas Lind and Cecilie Friis from the Danish think tank CONCITO about their project From Planetary Boundaries to Planetary Policies. They explore how addressing the climate crisis requires confronting the broader web of interconnected environmental challenges—and how Earth-system science can inform more effective and equitable policy responses. Lind and Friis discuss the urgent need to move from abstract recognition of planetary boundaries to concrete political action. What would it take to craft solutions that are globally viable? How can local communities meaningfully contribute to shaping policies at a planetary scale? The conversation highlights the potential of integrating planetary thinking into governance frameworks—bridging science, policy, and grassroots engagement in the face of accelerating ecological change.Academic Reference:Cecilie Friis, Andreas Lind, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; Towards Planetary Politics—A Conversation with CONCITO. Global Perspectives 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144301. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144301Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In Episode 2 of Mapping the Planetary, we sit down with our host, James Bernard Quilligan. With over three decades of experience in international development and monetary policy—as both analyst and administrator—Quilligan now serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Center for New Critical Politics and Governance. In the conversation, we explore key concepts shaping our planetary future—the idea of the planetary commons and the ecological limits of carrying capacity. Quilligan reflects on the importance of distinguishing globalization from planetization, and considers how principles from thermodynamics might shed light on the climate crisis. What forms of planetary governance and stewardship could help us navigate these complex challenges? Most importantly, we ask whether embracing a degrowth mindset is essential to building a sustainable future. Quilligan argues for the need to adopt a new worldview—a new epistemology and narrative—that can guide us through the planetary transition ahead.Academic Reference: James Quilligan, Hagen Schulz-Forberg; A Social Contract for the Planetary Commons—A Conversation with James Quilligan. Global Perspectives. 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144292. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144292Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary

In our first episode of Mapping the Planetary, together with our hosts Hagen Schulz-Forberg and James Quilligan, we sit down with Nils Gilman, Vice President of Programs at the Berggruen Institute, and discuss his ideas on a planetary approach to governance.Gilman distinguishes the concept of the planetary from the global, framing it as a necessary shift in light of the bio-geo-chemical disruption of today. He reflects on the need for new forms of shared sovereignty and suggests that a move beyond anthropocentric frameworks may open a fundamental rethinking of core categories in both political theory and policy practice.Academic Reference:Nils Gilman, Hagen Schulz-Forberg, James Quilligan; The New Order of Planetary Governance—A Conversation with Nils Gilman. Global Perspectives. 10 March 2025; 6 (1): 144161. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gp.2025.144161Any Questions? Send us a textThis podcast was created and produced by the Research Center for New Critical Politics and Governance (CPG).To watch the video version of this episode, please visit the link below: https://cas.au.dk/en/cpg/podcast/mapping-the-planetary