Sophie Nora Dolinga

Research Associate

Phone

E-Mail

Sophie [dot] Dolinga [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de

Since April 2025, Sophie Dolinga works as a research associate in the project "Create:Energy" at RIFS. The project initiates and researches opportunities for participation in a decentralized and participatory energy transition in the lignite mining regions of Lusatia and Rhineland in Germany. The focus of the project lies on community energy projects. Sophie Dolinga is a political scientist with a focus on participation in the socio-ecological transformation. She completed her studies in Heidelberg, Paris and Münster with a special interest in transformation research, democratic theory, protest research and climate policy. From 2021 to 2025, she worked as a research associate at the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues in the field of environmental law and participation in Berlin. In various practical and research projects in Germany and abroad, she gained experience in the implementation and analysis of different formats of formal and informal participation in environmental and climate issues, the digitalization of participation and the assessment of civil society developments.

Groups

Since April 2025: Research associate in the "Create:Energy" project at RIFS Potsdam
2021 - 2025: Research associate at the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU e.V.) in the field of environmental law and participation
2017 - 2021: Master of Political Science (M.A.) at the University of Münster
2015 - 2016: Studies in Social Sciences at Sciences Po Paris
2013 - 2017: Bachelor of Political Science (B.A.) at the University of Heidelberg

Social-ecological transformation
Democracy and participation research
Energy communities
Civil society developments and protest research
Conflicts and distribution issues in environmental and climate policy

Selected Publications

Publications prior to joining the RIFS

Schlichter, E., Albrecht, F., Schönberger, P., Klaus, L., Petzold, T., Dabo, H., Martens, J., Teune, S., Harms, L., Knopp, P., Thurn, R., Spatzl, J., Hummel, S., Faltenbacher, F., Dolinga, S., Wolfrum, S., Brückner, J., Ketterer, S., Bechtoldt, M., Peter, F., und Gutberlet, P. (2025). Green Legal Spaces Studie 2025. Entwicklung politischer Teilhaberechte der Klimabewegung in Deutschland. Berlin: Green Legal Impact.
Dolinga, S., Sperfeld, F., Stolpe, F. und Donges, L. (2024). NDC Participation Guidebook. How to ensure ambitious and just national climate action through civil society participation. Berlin: Unabhängiges Institut für Umweltfragen.
Donges, L., Sperfeld, F., Stolpe, F. und Dolinga, S. (2024). Handlungsspielräume von Nichtregierungsorganisationen in acht Ländern Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft an Klimapolitik, Ökologisches Wirtschaften 39 (3), S. 30-35.
Sperfeld, F., Dolinga, S., Franke, J., Prager, C., Habigt, L., Pauleweit, K., Zschiesche, M., Schütte, S., Mbah, M., Neles, J., Kelly, R. und Brohmann, B. (2023). Herausforderungen und Erfolgsfaktoren bei grenzüberschreitender Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung im Standortauswahlverfahren (HErüber). Abschlussbericht. [BASE - Forschungsbericht]
Fuchs, D. und Dolinga, S. (2022). Corporate power and the shaping of sustainability governance. In: Bornemann, B., Knappe, H., Nanz, P. (Hrsg.), The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability, London: Routledge, S. 222-236.