Vedran Horvat Associate

Our people — Associate

Vedran Horvat is a sociologist, researcher, activist, and former journalist who has been at the forefront of many progressive initiatives. Since 2015, he has served as the co-founder and head of the Institute for Political Ecology, based in Zagreb. Prior to this, Vedran held the position of the head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the German green political foundation office in Croatia, from 2005 to 2015. Additionally, he contributes to the Brussels-based Green European Foundation as a member of the board of directors since 2019. Actively engaged in local advocacy, Vedran is a member of the "Right to the City" and the municipalist platform Zagreb je naš. He also served as board member of the National Foundation for Civil Society Development in Croatia from 2012 to 2017.

Vedran Horvat

Over the past two decades, Vedran has actively worked towards fostering conducive social and political conditions for the emergence of the green political movement in Croatia and the wider Balkans region. His multifaceted approach includes playing diverse roles: facilitating grant-making and providing direct support, engaging in activism, fostering community building, and establishing networks with green political institutions and movements across Europe. Through his dedicated efforts, encompassing coordination, facilitation, research, and publishing work, Vedran has significantly contributed to shaping the landscape.

Furthermore, he is the founder of the Green Academy, a bi-annual advanced program in political ecology education since 2010. Notably, he served as one of the key co-organizers for the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb (2023).

Areas of expertise: 

Social movements, postgrowth/degrowth, political ecology, non-exctractive economy, just transition, climate justice, commons, municipalism, human rights, public services

Media experience: 

Worked as a journalist in daily political newspaper Vjesnik and its weekly editions (1998-2004), contributed to www.transitionsonline.cz, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, Večernji list, Poslovni dnevnik etc. 

Honours/Awards: 

Marshall Memorial Fellowship 2010, Hertie Scholarship 2013, University of Hamburg Fellowship -Future(s) of Sustainability (2023) 

Website

 www.ipe.hr

Publications:

Here. At Last – Pathways of Green Politics in the Balkans, 2024, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (forthcoming), author

Postgrowth Future(s): new voices, novel visions, 2024, Institute for Political Ecology (forthcoming) editor

Sketches of a new city, https://gef.eu/publication/sketches-of-a-new-city/, Institute for Political Ecology, 2023. editor

Commons in South East Europe: Case of Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Macedonia. Institute for Political Ecology, Zagreb, 2016. (author), https://ipe.hr/en/publications/commons-in-south-east-europe-case-of-croatia-bosnia-herzegovina-and-macedonia/