| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Downing, Andrea S., et al.
(författare)
-
Matching scope, purpose and uses of planetary boundaries science
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 14:7
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The Planetary Boundaries concept (PBc) has emerged as a key global sustainability concept in international sustainable development arenas. Initially presented as an agenda for global sustainability research, it now shows potential for sustainability governance. Weuse the fact that it is widely cited in scientific literature (>3500 citations) and an extensively studied concept to analyse how it has been used and developed since its first publication. Design: From the literature that cites the PBc, we select those articles that have the terms 'planetary boundaries' or 'safe operating space' in either title, abstract or keywords. Weassume that this literature substantively engages with and develops the PBc. Results: Wefind that 6% of the citing literature engages with the concept. Within this fraction of the literature we distinguish commentaries-that discuss the context and challenges to implementing the PBc, articles that develop the core biogeophysical concept and articles that apply the concept by translating to sub-global scales and by adding a human component to it. Applied literature adds to the concept by explicitly including society through perspectives of impacts, needs, aspirations and behaviours. Discussion: Literature applying the concept does not yet include the more complex, diverse, cultural and behavioural facet of humanity that is implied in commentary literature. Wesuggest there is need for a positive framing of sustainability goals-as a Safe Operating Space rather than boundaries. Key scientific challenges include distinguishing generalised from context-specific knowledge, clarifying which processes are generalizable and which are scalable, and explicitly applying complex systems' knowledge in the application and development of the PBc. We envisage that opportunities to address these challenges will arise when more human social dimensions are integrated, as we learn to feed the global sustainability vision with a plurality of bottom-up realisations of sustainability.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Enarsson, David, et al.
(författare)
-
Grassroots initiatives transforming cities toward post-growth futures : Insights from the collaborative economy movement in Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 441
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Grassroots initiatives (GIs) are local, yet globally connected networks of activists that generate novel solutions for sustainability. While GIs are often claimed to play an important role for urban sustainability transitions, little research has examined how such innovations consolidate beyond isolated local initiatives. This article summarizes findings from a case study of the collaborative economy grassroots movement in Gothenburg, Sweden, to explore how the movements’ transformative capacity can be strengthened to enable transformations away from the growth-based economy, for the purposes of social-ecological sustainability. Our findings suggest that GIs demonstrate potential for post-growth transformations and that intermediary support and leadership are key to strengthen their transformative capacity. However, we also find that as GIs develop to influence regimes, they may face trade-offs that compromise their autonomy. If considered, we argue that the transformative capacities of GIs can be supported, to enact economic transformations toward a post-growth economy.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., et al.
(författare)
-
”De rikas konsumtion föröder naturen” : REPLIK | FOLKÖKNING
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Svenska Dagbladet Debatt. - 1101-2412.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- This is a response to another article that argues that population growth is the main problem. Jennifer and her co-authors write: "In the environmental debate, it is often said that the issue of population growth is taboo. We disagree. In most of the contexts in which we operate, the population issue is discussed. The reason why it is not emphasized more is that the statistics speak for themselves: today it is overconsumption that is the main problem, not population growth".
|
|
| 8. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., 1982-
(författare)
-
Fit for Purpose? Clarifying the critical role of profit for sustainability
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Political Ecology. - : University of Arizona. - 1073-0451. ; 27:1, s. 236-262
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This conceptual article contributes to the post-growth strand of political ecology literature, which seeks to find sustainable ways of organizing the economy that do not require economic growth. It explores the idea that transitioning to post-growth societies requires a transition in the relationship-to-profit of business. I first conceptualize relationship-to-profit as the intersection of purpose, investment, and ownership of firms. Specifically, for-profit business structures entail a financial gain purpose, private ownership, and unlimited returns on investment; whereas not-for-profit business structures have a social benefit purpose, collective ownership, and limited returns on investment. I then outline ideal types of for-profit and not-for-profit economies, based on the differences between these two kinds of relationship-to-profit. The first ideal type shows how the for-profit business structure drives consumerism, economic growth, and ecological harm, as well as inequality and political capture, preventing post-growth transitions. These dynamics might be slowed down by businesses that seek to balance private financial gain with social benefit (known as dual-purpose businesses). The second ideal type describes the dynamics that might be expected in an economy consisting of not-for-profit businesses, which have a legal mandate to pursue only social benefit. This analysis explains how transitioning from for-profit to not-for-profit forms of business might change some of the most problematic dynamics of the economy, allowing for post-growth transformations. A brief discussion of the possible shortcomings of a not-for-profit economy is also offered.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., 1982-
(författare)
-
Five Key Dimensions of Post-Growth Business : Putting the Pieces Together
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Futures. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-3287 .- 1873-6378. ; 131
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As there has been no evidence of the kind of environmental decoupling necessary to allow for green economic growth, academic and activist discussions alike have turned to exploring post-growth pathways. Such a transformation entails a significant shift in economic institutions, yet post-growth analyses of what is problematic about businesses and how to resolve these issues are piecemeal. This article offers an overview and synthesis of key findings in the emerging post-growth business literature. Using institutional analysis, it develops a framework that conceptually ties together five dimensions of business that have been identified as most important for post-growth transformations: relationship-to-profit, incorporation structure, governance structure, strategy, and size and geographical scope. The intention of developing this five-dimensions framework is to offer a more coherent and concrete theoretical basis for ongoing discussions about which types of business are compatible, or incompatible, with post-growth pathways.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., 1982-
(författare)
-
Limits to Profit? A conceptual framework for understanding profit and sustainability
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This article seeks to unpack how the generation of profit impacts social and ecological sustainability. It begins by framing profit as not necessarily sustainable or exploitative. Social and ecological inputs and impacts are necessary for economic processes and when social and ecological stakeholders are not compensated for their contributions to the process, they can be considered unpaid inputs and, thus, sources of profit. This often overlaps with exploitation of stakeholders, which occurs when one party financially benefits at the expense of another party. The paper examines how profit is generated by several common types of profit-seeking strategies. In doing so, a conceptual framework is developed that clarifies how profit-seeking strategies generate profit from four basic sources: efficiency gains; willing and informed contributions from social stakeholders; exploitation of social stakeholders; and exploitation of nature. The fact that there are a bounded number of sources of benign profit (and that there are limits to those sources) indicates that there are limits to profit. It also indicates that much of the profit generated today comes from exploitation, which helps explain the sustainability crisis. This implies that profit should not be pursued as an end by businesses and reveals some inherent perils of a profit-driven economy. Thus, the paper adds clarity to the social and ecological sources and limits of profit, and gives guidance for how profit should be treated in a sustainable economy.
|
|
| 11. |
|
|
| 12. |
|
|
| 13. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., 1982-, et al.
(författare)
-
Profit as a Means or an End? An analysis of diverse approaches to sustainable business
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper discusses tradeoffs between sustainability objectives and profit, examining the implications of the argument that sustainable businesses should see profit as a means, not an end. It highlights that there are two main ways in which a business can see profit as a means: first, by maintaining its focus on a different end (namely social and ecological objectives); and secondly, by ensuring that profit is not an end in itself by excluding private financial rights. These two criteria are applied to examine a range of theoretical approaches, incorporation structures, and third-party certifications that have been developed with the aim of making business sustainable. The discussion highlights inconsistencies, ambiguities, and shortfalls of these approaches and outlines ways to advance the theory and practice of sustainable business.
|
|
| 14. |
- Hinton, Jennifer B., 1982-
(författare)
-
Relationship-to-Profit : A Theory of Business, Markets, and Profit for Social Ecological Economics
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How does the relationship between business and profit affect social and ecological sustainability? Many sustainability scholars have identified competition for profit in the market as a key driver of social exploitation and environmental destruction. Yet, studies rarely question whether businesses and markets have to be profit-seeking. The widespread existence of not-for-profit forms of business, which approach profit as a means to achieving social benefit, suggests that there are other ways of organizing business and markets that might be more sustainable.In this thesis, I use a critical institutional economics lens and systems thinking to synthesize existing theory and knowledge about how business, markets, and profit affect sustainability outcomes, in order to explain how alternative approaches to these institutions might produce different outcomes. The result is a new theory about how relationship-to-profit (the legal difference between for-profit and not-for-profit forms of business) plays a key role in the sustainability of an economy, due to the ways in which it guides and constrains actors’ behavior, and drives larger market dynamics.In Paper 1, I develop a conceptual framework for understanding the tradeoffs and synergies between profit and social-ecological sustainability. I show how profit-seeking strategies can be examined to assess whether they derive profit from: efficiency gains; willing and informed contributions from social stakeholders; or exploitation of social or ecological stakeholders. These bounded sources of profit imply limits to profit. Therefore, in order for businesses and markets to be sustainable, they should treat profit as a means rather than an end in itself. In Paper 2, I explain that whether profit is treated as a means or an end manifests through both voluntary objectives (i.e., if a business explicitly pursues profit as a goal) and financial rights (i.e., the right or obligation to distribute profit to private owners). Some forms of business encourage profit-as-an-end more than others. In Paper 3, I outline ideal types of for-profit and not-for-profit economies, and describe the expected dynamics of these systems based on the regulative aspects of relationship-to-profit. The legal purpose, ownership (i.e., private financial rights), and corresponding investment structures of for-profit forms of business all encourage firms to treat profit as an end. The pursuit of unlimited financial gain and the private distribution of the surplus by for-profit businesses tend to drive the growth of consumerism, environmental degradation, inequality, market concentration, and political capture. In a not-for-profit type of economy, businesses do not have a financial gain purpose or private financial rights. Profit in such a system is used as a means to achieve social benefit. This results in higher levels of equality and opens up the space for more effective sustainability interventions.Yet, relationship-to-profit is only one dimension of business that is important for sustainability. In Paper 4, I develop a framework to structure analyses and wider discussions of post-growth business around five key dimensions of business: (1) relationship-to-profit, (2) incorporation structure, (3) governance, (4) strategy, and (5) size and geographical scope. The theory developed in this thesis offers an explanation of how key institutional elements of business and markets drive social and ecological sustainability outcomes.
|
|
| 15. |
- Hinton, Jennifer, 1982-
(författare)
-
Profit-Orientation and Post-Growth Economies : Building Theory for Social-Ecological Resilience
- 2019
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis takes a post-growth perspective in order to answer the overarching research question: How does business profit-orientation affect social-ecological sustainability? It is the result of putting different pieces of the puzzle together - across the microeconomic and macroeconomic scales - in order to build a stronger conceptual and theoretical basis for sustainable post-growth economies.In Part 1, I describe what a post-growth perspective entails, as an inherently social-ecological systems approach. I give a brief overview of the state-of-the-art of post-growth thinking in terms of problem identification, drivers of growth, and solutions. I also identify important gaps in terms of the way post-growth scholarship has approached profit and business, particularly regarding profit-orientation. I also identify an important gap with regards to the lack of a post-growth theory of the firm. Part 2 describes my research objectives and the questions that I aim to answer in this study, as well as a brief description of the two manuscripts of the thesis in relation to these questions. In Part 3, I describe the ontological, epistemological, and methodological underpinnings of my approach. I also detail the steps I have taken in building up the concepts and theory that my manuscripts put forward. Part 4 describes the key results in the manuscripts and contributions to the relevant research communities. In essence, Manuscript 1 provides a conceptualization of profit-orientation as the nexus between the purpose, ownership, and investment of a firm. It then outlines how profit-orientation drives certain dynamics of the aggregate economy, through the development of ideal types of economies (i.e., a for-profit economy, a hybrid economy, and a not-for-profit economy). Key contributions of this paper include a clarification of what profit-orientation is and its role in driving consumerism, economic growth, inequality, market concentration, and political capture. Building on this first paper, Manuscript 2 presents the diverse and complex aspects of business that are commonly mentioned in the sustainable business and post-growth literature, and offers a framework that organizes all of these aspects into five dimensions: profit-orientation; incorporation structure; governance structure; strategy; and size and geographical scope. Key contributions of this paper include simplifying and ordering the complexity of the firm, as well as offering a common terminology for discussing, analyzing, and assessing a business’s potential to contribute to post-growth transformations. I end this part with a brief discussion of how the papers complement each other, and contextualize this thesis in the broader sphere of sustainability and social-ecological resilience efforts. In Part 5, I describe the other manuscripts I am writing for my doctoral work and I explore future possibilities for building on this thesis.
|
|
| 16. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
-
Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
|
|
| 17. |
- Persson, Ola, et al.
(författare)
-
A sustainable second-hand clothing market? : Exploring the role of business forms and profit
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Second-hand consumption of clothing can support the transition to circular economies by prolonging the lifespan of products through reuse. Historically, not-for-profit businesses have been dominant actors in second-hand markets across Western Europe and North America. However, with the growing interest in second-hand consumption, for-profit firms have increasingly entered this market over the last decade. Through a qualitative case comparison, consisting of three not-for-profit businesses and three for-profit businesses operating in the Swedish second-hand clothing market, we explore how different business forms influence the social and ecological sustainability dynamics of this market. This study concludes that while a growing second-hand clothing market may support the transition to a future circular economy, there are social and ecological issues related to which market actors have access to the used clothes, how these materials flow, and how profits are eventually distributed. Therefore, we argue that particular attention should not only be paid to the material flows but also the legal structures and financial flows of firms present in circular markets. These aspects can in turn improve our understanding of who benefits from the transition to a circular economy, and under which conditions this transition can be made more socially just and environmentally sustainable.
|
|
| 18. |
- Persson, Ola, et al.
(författare)
-
Second-hand clothing markets and a just circular economy? : Exploring the role of business forms and profit
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 390, s. 136139-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Second-hand consumption of clothing can support the transition to circular economies by prolonging the lifespan of products through reuse. Historically, not-for-profit businesses have been dominant actors in second-hand markets across Western Europe and North America. However, with the growing interest in second-hand consumption, for-profit firms have increasingly entered this market over the last decade. Through a qualitative case comparison, consisting of three not-for-profit businesses and three for-profit businesses operating in the Swedish second-hand clothing market, we explore the relationship between different business forms present on a changing second-hand market and a socially just circular economy. This study concludes that while a growing second-hand clothing market may support the transition to a future circular economy, there are issues related to which market actors have access to the used clothes, how these materials flow, and how profits are eventually distributed. Thus, we argue that particular attention should not only be paid to the material flows but also the legal structures and financial flows of firms present in circular markets. These aspects can in turn improve our understanding of who benefits from the transition to a circular economy, and under which conditions this transition can be made more socially just.
|
|
| 19. |
- Powers, TuShun R., et al.
(författare)
-
Intracellular niche-specific profiling reveals transcriptional adaptations required for the cytosolic lifestyle of Salmonella enterica
- 2021
-
Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 17:8, s. e1009280-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes diarrheal disease in humans and animals. During salmonellosis, S. Typhimurium colonizes epithelial cells lining the gastrointestinal tract. S. Typhimurium has an unusual lifestyle in epithelial cells that begins within an endocytic-derived Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV), followed by escape into the cytosol, epithelial cell lysis and bacterial release. The cytosol is a more permissive environment than the SCV and supports rapid bacterial growth. The physicochemical conditions encountered by S. Typhimurium within the epithelial cytosol, and the bacterial genes required for cytosolic colonization, remain largely unknown. Here we have exploited the parallel colonization strategies of S. Typhimurium in epithelial cells to decipher the two niche-specific bacterial virulence programs. By combining a population-based RNA-seq approach with single-cell microscopic analysis, we identified bacterial genes with cytosol-induced or vacuole-induced expression signatures. Using these genes as environmental biosensors, we defined that Salmonella is exposed to oxidative stress and iron and manganese deprivation in the cytosol and zinc and magnesium deprivation in the SCV. Furthermore, iron availability was critical for optimal S. Typhimurium replication in the cytosol, as well as entC, fepB, soxS, mntH and sitA. Virulence genes that are typically associated with extracellular bacteria, namely Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1) and SPI4, showed increased expression in the cytosol compared to vacuole. Our study reveals that the cytosolic and vacuolar S. Typhimurium virulence gene programs are unique to, and tailored for, residence within distinct intracellular compartments. This archetypical vacuole-adapted pathogen therefore requires extensive transcriptional reprogramming to successfully colonize the mammalian cytosol.
|
|
| 20. |
- Raphael, Riya, et al.
(författare)
-
Postgrowth welfare systems: a view from the Nordic context
-
Ingår i: Consumption and Society. - 2752-8499.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As production and supply chains rely on exploitative extraction of nature and labour, consumption levels (resource use) remain one of the main indicators of inequality, across and within national contexts. In times of ongoing climate crisis and rising levels of inequalities, welfare systems face the dual challenge of transforming economies to reduce their reliance on unsustainable industries as well as maintain and expand equitable distribution of public provision. In this keyword essay, we address three overlapping concerns to consider while envisioning sustainable welfare within the Nordic context: growth and its paradoxical relation with welfare; inequalities and notions of wellbeing; and possible alternatives to arrange provision systems.
|
|
| 21. |
|
|
