Olivia Bina is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences University of Lisbon, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography and Resource Management of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

 Her first degree is in Political Sciences from the Università Statale di Milano (1991, Italy). She holds an MPhil in Environment and Development from the University of Cambridge (1993, United Kingdom) and a PhD in Geography (2004) also from the University of Cambridge.

Her current research focuses on conceptions of progress, growth and ecological sustainability, with particular interest in the rising agenda on responsibility, happiness and wellbeing in economic and sustainability theories. Her main project at ICS is on “Crises in progress: An inquiry into the role of responsibility, justice and happiness in a world of limits and uncertainty”. She also continues to be active in the field of environmental governance theory and mechanisms. Her area of inquiry compares Chinese and European theories and practice in these fields.

She has published extensively, both in terms of policy documents (including for the European Commission, OECD, World Bank), and in academic journals (including Environment and Planning A, Environmental Management, Environmental Impact Assessment, China Review) and contributing chapters to peer reviewed publications (Edward Elgar, Policy Press). She has over fifteen years experience as a lobbyist and consultant and has advised several governments (EU member states, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, China) and international organisations (European Commission, European Environment Agency, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) on environmental governance processes and mechanisms.