The polymorphism of the concept of sustainability requires the identification of criteria for assessing the consistency of the regulatory approach to long-term investment policies as well as the effectiveness of legal and fiscal tools seeking to govern the gradual transition towards sustainable development models in line with the goals set out by the United Nations (Agenda 2030).A backward-looking analysis of certain recent pieces of legislation, for example in the field of renewable energies, shows how, under the label of sustainability, short-term speculative forms of investment have been encouraged, forms of investment hardly in line - and in some cases even contrasting - with the announced goals.Drawing from recent regulations at EU level, such as the Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (the so-called Taxonomy Regulation) and the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector (the so-called Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation), the research aims at identifying, in a comparative perspective and using the tools of economic analysis of law, the cornerstones of a regulatory approach consistent with long-term investment policies effectively oriented towards sustainability.

Requirements: strong legal background (law degree); knowledge of the comparative law methodology; intellectual curiosity; ability to work in team.

IUSS mission is to provide advanced education to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as fundamental and applied research. At IUSS, PhD candidates will find an open multidisciplinary environment offering real opportunities for developing academic and professional tools for facing the challenges arising from increasing complexity and fast changes in the society and the environment. The selected candidate will join the Legal Science Research Group (LSRG) at IUSS and will work in a pluralist and multi-disciplinary academic environment. The LSRG conducts policy-oriented research studies applying the methodologies of comparative law and economic analysis of laws and institutions.