Description
Book SynopsisOur Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered introductions to the key principles in business, expertly written by some of the world’s leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential principles of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking.
Examining the psychological and social drivers of unsustainable and sustainable consumption, this Concise Introduction provides an insightful overview of the causes of unsustainable consumer behaviour and the instruments and interventions needed to create a sustainable consumption pattern.
Key Features:
- Outlines how policy interventions can contribute to a transformation in the consumption pattern
- Based on a comprehensive model of the causes and consequences of (un)sustainable consumer choices
- Provides a precise account of how the structure and distribution of consumption are responsible for environmental problems
- Maps the roots of unsustainable consumption in human nature as well as in economic, institutional, social, and structural contexts
Highlighting a variety of ways to promote sustainable consumption, from sustainability labelling to carbon taxes and infrastructure investments, this Concise Introduction will be essential reading for students and researchers in behavioural sciences, business and management, economic psychology, environmental sociology, and sustainable development.
Trade Review‘This Concise Introduction brings together expertise from consumer psychology and behavioural economics and systematically reflects on the drivers of unsustainable as well as sustainable consumption. Thøgersen gives a comprehensive overview for an interdisciplinary readership. He starts with evidence regarding the unsustainability of current consumption patterns, discusses the most relevant psychological models to understand consumption, and then gradually widens the focus to the societal context of consumption and the structural changes needed for the promotion of sustainable consumption patterns.’ -- Ellen Matthies, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Germany
‘This short volume synthesizes research on the environmentally significant behaviors of individual consumers, drawn largely from psychology and behavioral economics. It offers readers from outside these fields useful insights into what shapes these behaviors and how they might be changed by applying research-based knowledge.’ -- Paul C. Stern, Social and Environmental Research Institute, US
‘Pressures on the planetary boundaries are caused by the types and levels of consumption in affluent societies. Based on 35 years research experience, Professor of Economic Psychology John Thøgersen has written an outstanding and scholarly book analysing antecedents, consequences, and countermeasures. The book should be read by everyone concerned about environmental issues.’ -- Tommy Gärling, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction to sustainable consumption: from the Brundtland Commission to acknowledging the importance of the demand-side 2. The (un)sustainability of consumption patterns. 3. Basic psychological drivers of unsustainable consumption. 4. Social norms and (un)sustainable consumption 5. Psychological and social drivers of sustainable consumption 6. Human limitations and unsustainable consumption 7. The importance of the context 8. From single actions to a sustainable consumption pattern 9. Promoting sustainable consumption 10. Summary and conclusions
