The aim of the project is to contribute to further improvements of the methods for measuring sustainable development, with focus on the set of sustainable development indicators (SDI) currently used in Norway. By its interdisciplinary approaches to ecology and economics, the project contributes to ecosystem-based management and the development of methods for environmental monitoring The role of SIFO is to contribute to the discussion about radical consumption indicators, and the main work will take place in 2009, where we are responsible for a scientific articleIn 2009 we will arrange a small workshop on the environmental impact of consumption.
2.E.Sustainable consumption patterns. The tension between rational models and everyday routines Information on sustainable consumption is not a part of the Norwegian SDI set today, but the Ministry of the Environment has asked Statistics Norway to propose new indicators for this topic. This part of the project, aiming at developing a new indiactor for sustainable consumption, will be carried out in cooperation with SIFO. European consumer researchers will be invited to reflect on these indicators in relationship to various theoretical contributions. In the literature there is a striking tension between rational models on the one hand and models concerned about routines and social practises on the other. The rational choice theories within economy and economic psychology has a strong positions, but is challenged by sociologist and anthropologist because of their empirical shortcomings. The relationship between attitudes and behaviour is weak and unstable. Research question: Have studies of consumer practises and ordinary consumption an alternative understanding of consumer behaviour to offer? Has SDI any part in these theoretical contributions?
Methods: Workshop with prepared papers, discussing SDI from various theoretical point of departure, treating the disagreement as a fruitful dialog. We will also propose a new method within this research question on the understanding of Sustainable Consumption among consumers and citizens: Focus groups among consumers where the SDI is presented and discussed. This qualitative method will support the quantitative survey and increase our understanding. |
