Profiles of Structural Exclusion in the Twin Transition: Ideal Types, Political Disaffection, and Participatory Governance

Andrés Arias Astray, Melisa Campana Alabarce, David Alonso González and Juan Brea Iglesias
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Andrés Arias Astray: Department of Social Work and Social Services, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain / Institute of Technology of Knowledge, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Melisa Campana Alabarce: Department of Social Work and Social Services, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain / Institute of Technology of Knowledge, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain / National University of Rosario, Argentina
David Alonso González: Department of Social Work and Social Services, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain / Institute of Technology of Knowledge, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Juan Brea Iglesias: Department of Social Work and Social Services, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Politics and Governance, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: This article analyses how the simultaneous pursuit of green decarbonisation and digital transformation—the twin transition—generates disproportionate structural burdens on marginalised social groups. Drawing on Max Weber’s ideal‐type methodology ( Idealtypus ) and Spanish statistical evidence, it develops six prototypical profiles of structural exclusion across key twin‐transition sectors: urban mobility and transport, the platform and gig economy, rural energy and depopulation, digital public infrastructure and smart cities, digital agriculture, and urban renovation. Each profile identifies the mechanisms through which green and digital policies impose unequal costs on vulnerable groups, examining the resulting dynamics of institutional disaffection, potential political radicalisation, and common structural patterns. Comparative analysis identifies four recurring exclusion mechanisms—the upfront cost barrier, the digital literacy gateway, the geographic penalty, and knowledge disqualification—tracing a common pathway from structural exclusion to political disaffection. The article concludes by proposing five governance principles grounded in community work and participatory governance, offering a framework transferable to comparable EU contexts.

Keywords: community work; digital transition; energy poverty; green transition; mobility justice; participatory governance; precariate; radicalisation; social exclusion; twin transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:poango:v14:y:2026:a:12501

DOI: 10.17645/pag.12501

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