| 1. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-
(författare)
-
A Missing Pillar? Challenges in theorizing and practicing social sustainability : introductory article in the special issue
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Sustainability. - : ProQuest. - 1548-7733. ; 8:1, s. 3-14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, the notion of sustainable developmenthas come to guide the pursuit of environmental reform by both public and private organizations and to facilitate communication among actors from different societal spheres. It is customary to characterize sustainable development in a familiar typology comprising three pillars: environmental, economic, and social. The relationships among these dimensions are generally assumed to be compatible and mutually supportive. However, previous research has found that when policy makers endorse sustainable development, the social dimension garners less attention and is particularly difficult to realize and operationalize. Recent years though have seen notable efforts among standard setters, planners, and practitioners in various sectors to address the often neglected social aspects of sustainability. Likewise, during the past decade, there have been efforts to develop theoretical frameworks to define and study social sustainability and to empirically investigate it in relation to “sustainability projects,” “sustainability practice,” and “sustainability initiatives.” This introductory article presents the topic and explains some of the challenges of incorporating social sustainability into a broad framework of sustainable development. Also considered is the potential of the social sustainability concept for sustainability projects and planning. This analysis is predicated on the work represented in this special issue and on related initiatives that explicitly discuss the social pillar of sustainable development and its relationship to the other dimensions.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Casula Vifell, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
-
Organizing for social sustainability : Governance through bureaucratization in meta-organizations
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Sustainability. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1548-7733. ; 8:1, s. 50-58
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The difficulties nation states face when attempting to use traditional legal means to cope with transnational phenom-ena such as environmental degradation, international labor conditions, and global trade have created an opportunity for the emergence of new types of regulations. These rules are often issued by organizations that produce voluntary measures such as standards and action plans to influence the behavior of individuals and institutions. These are in many cases meta-organizations that have other organizations rather than individuals as members. They are important links in the process of creating and diffusing dominant definitions in the “ideoscape” of influential policy concepts such as sustainable development. This article explores how two meta-organizations, Fairtrade International (FLO) and Organic Forum, shape the concepts of fair trade and organic food by providing ideas and content to the ideoscape of sustainable development. We argue that this process takes place by governance through bureaucratization in which fair trade and organic food become formalized, precisely defined, and made visible. This in turn determines how—or even if—the social dimension of sustainability can be made into policy. Furthermore, we find explanations in these processes as to why the social dimension of sustainability tends to be the most underdeveloped. We conclude that bureaucratization is also a form of politics, although not one that is as easily recognizable as an open power struggle.
|
|
| 4. |
- Klintman, Mikael
(författare)
-
ISSUES OF SCALE IN GLOBAL ACCREDITATION OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM SCHEMES: TOWARDS HARMONISED RE-EMBEDDEDNESS?
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy. - 1548-7733. ; 8:1, s. 59-69
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In efforts to find synergies or trade-offs between the environmental and social pillars of policies aimed at sustainable development, a key set of issues are often discussed in terms of geographical scale. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the framings of social and environmental sustainability challenges as scale-related (such as local - global or North-South) involved in processes intended to establish and improve international standards of ecologically sound products and processes. Theoretically, this paper combines works on scale theory (on how scale, localness, etc are framed in policy processes) with sociological work of disembeddedness and reembeddedness. Empirically, the paper is based on analyses of various types of documents about standardisation within the sector of sustainable tourism. More specifically, the paper analyses efforts related to the developments of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC). This paper holds that reducing problems to inherent qualities of the local versus global - or to North versus South - runs the risk of obscuring and coming to terms with urgent problems at stake. The paper suggests how to proceed in order to shed light on scale dilemmas and reach possible resolutions at the interface of the social and environmental dimensions.
|
|
| 5. |
- Ojala, Maria, 1970-
(författare)
-
Coping with climate change among adolescents : Implications for subjective well-being and environmental engagement
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Sustainability. - Basel, Switzerland : MDPI AG. - 1548-7733 .- 2071-1050. ; 5:5, s. 2191-2209
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this questionnaire study was to investigate how Swedish adolescents (n = 321) cope with climate change and how different coping strategies are associated with environmental efficacy, pro-environmental behavior, and subjective well-being. The results were compared to an earlier study on 12-year-olds, and the same coping strategies, problem-focused coping, de-emphasizing the seriousness of the threat, and meaning-focused coping, were identified. As in the study on children, problem-focused and meaning-focused coping were positively related to felt efficacy and environmental behavior, while de-emphasizing the threat was negatively related to these measures. As expected, the more problem-focused coping the adolescents used, the more likely it was that they experienced negative affect in everyday life. This association was explained by the tendency for highly problem-focused adolescents to worry more about climate change. In contrast, meaning-focused coping was positively related to both well-being and optimism. When controlling for well-known predictors such as values and gender, meaning-focused and problem-focused coping were independent positive predictors of environmental efficacy and pro-environmental behavior, while de-emphasizing the threat was a negative predictor of pro-environmental behavior. The results are discussed in relation to coping theories and earlier studies on coping with climate change.
|
|
| 6. |
- Palm, Jenny, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
-
Motives for and barriers to household adoption of small-scale production of electricity: examples from Sweden
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Sustainability. - 1548-7733. ; 7:1, s. 6-15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new electricity-production concept attracted massive media attention in Sweden during 2008 when companies began marketing small-scale photovoltaic panels (PVs) and microwind turbines. The products were launched by their simplicity: the components are so easy to install that anyone can do it. How, then, do households perceive these products? Why would households choose to buy them? What do households think about producing their own electricity? Analysis of material from in-depth interviews with members of twenty households reveals that environmental concerns are the main motive for adopting PVs or microwind turbines. Some households have ecologically aware lifestyles and adoption represents a way to reduce fossil-fuel use. For others, this investment is symbolic and provides a way to display environmental consciousness or to set an example. For still others, adoption is a protest against “the system,” with its large dominant companies, or a step toward self-sufficiency. Moreover, some households reject these microgeneration installations because of financial considerations, respect for neighbors who might object, and/or difficulties finding an appropriate site.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
