消费政策如何能赋予消费者可持续性的生活方式外文翻译可编辑.docx

消费政策如何能赋予消费者可持续性的生活方式外文翻译可编辑.docx

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消费政策如何能赋予消费者可持续性的生活方式外文翻译可编辑

消费政策如何能赋予消费者可持续性的生活方式？

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文翻译

外文翻译

HowcanConsumerpolicyempowerconsumersforchanginglifestyles?

materialSource:

JournalofConsumerPolicyAuthor:

JohnThogersen

Consumerpolicycanempowerconsumersforchanginglifestylesbyreducingpersonalconstraintsandlimitations,butitshouldalsoattempttoloosensomeoftheexternalconstraintsthatmakechangestowardsamoresustainablelifestyledif?

cult・Intermsofreducingconsumers,subjectivelyfeltrestrictionsontheirabilitytochangelifestyle,thetwoapproachesareequivalent・Policiesthatincreaseafeelingofempowermentmayalsohaveapositiveeffectonconsumersmotivationto

makeaneffort,thusamplifyingitseffects・Inthispaperbothtypesofconstraintsonlifestylechangesinasustainabledirectionarediscussedaswellaspoliciesforreducingconstraints・Possiblemotivationaleffectsoftheproposedpoliciesarealsooutlined・

Atleastjudgedbyitsoutcome,itseemsthatconsumersintherichpartsoftheworldmakelessofaneffortatchangingtheirlifestyleinasustainabledirectionthanisdesiredbysocietyandthanisintheirowncollectivelong-terminterest・4"Sustainable1'herereferstoalevelandpatternofconsumptionwhichmeetstheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerationstomeettheirownneedsWorldcommissiononEnvironmentandDevelopment,1987・Itisgenerallyagreedbytheinternationalcommunitythatcurrentlifestylesbya?

uentconsumersinbothrichandpoorcountriesarenotsustainableSitarz,1994;UnitedNations,2002・TheissuewasgiventoppriorityattheWorldSummitinRioin1992,butprogresstowardssustainableconsumptionhasbeendisappointinglyslow.Forinstance,inareportissuedbyUnitedNationsSecretary-GeneralKo?

AnnaninpreparationfortheJohannesburgSummit,itwasconcludedthatuProgresstowardsthegoalsestablishedatRiohasbeenslowerthananticipatedandinsomerespectsconditionsareworsethantheywere10yearsago.''1Thisinspiteofconsumershavinganobviouslongterminterestinsustainability,aninterestoftenexpressedbyconsumerorganizationse.g・,ConsumersInternational,2002andinsurveysmeasuringthegeneralpopulation^senvironmentalconcerne.g・,theEuropeanOpinionResearchGroup,2003・Whatcanbedoneabouttheslowprogresstowardssustainabilitydependsonthereasonswhysolittleishappening・

Threemaingroupsofactorsin?

uencethesustainabilityofprivateconsumption:

consumers,governments,andbusiness・Foreachofthem,theapparentlackofeffectiveactionforsustainabilitymaybeattributedtomotivationalaswellasability-:

relatedfactors・Inthispaper,thefocusisonunderstandingandin?

uencingconsumeractions・However,inordertounderstandtheconstraintsthatconsumersmustliveby,referencestothetwoothergroupsofactorsareunavoidable・

Itisoftenarguedthatconsumersthemselvescanmakeadifferencewithregardto?

andshouldthereforecarrytheirfairshareoftheresponsibilityfor?

thesustainabilityoftheirconsumptionpatterne・g・,NorwegianMinistryofEnvironment,1994;Sitarz,1994・Thisisbasedontheobservationsthatprivateconsumptionaccountsforalargeshareofresourceuseandoftheemissionofpollutantstotheenvironment,andthatconsumersdohavesomediscretionarypowerwithregardtothesizeoftheirindividualcontributiontoresourceuseandpollutione.g・,Olander&Th?

gersen,1995・Inlinewiththisreasoning,HansenandSchrader1997arguethatconsumerpolicy,andtheconsumermodelonwhichitisbased,shouldberevisedtore?

ectthatconsumershavean,atleastpartial,ethicalresponsibilityfortheconsequencesoftheiractions・

Althoughthecaseforconsumerresponsibilityisstrong,itisimportantthatitisnotusedtojustify'"blamingthevictinf'strategies,thatis,blamingconsumersforunsustainablelifestyleswhen4"macroconditionsexistwhichcanbeblamedforcontributingtotheproblemorconstrainingtheeffectivenessofindividualeffortse.g・,companiesthatdonotprovideecologicallyfriendlyproducts,governmentinactivity1'Roberts&Bacon,1997,p.89.Infact,hardlyanyonewilldenythatthereareexternalconditionsaffectingtheeffectivenessofanindividualconsumer'sactions,ifandwhenheorshestrivesforsustainability・Therelevantexternalconditionsareanextremelydiversesetoffactors,perhapstheironlycommonalitybeingthatontheirown,individualconsumerscandonothingaboutthem.

Somerelevantexternalconditions,suchastheclimate,evengovernmentsandindustrycandolittleaboutandothers,suchasculture,citylayout,andinfrastructure,theycanonlyin?

uenceinthelongrun.However,thereareotherimportantexternalconditionswhichgovernmentsand/orindustrycontroltoamuchhigherdegree,suchasthequalityofpublictransport,thesupplyandrelativepricesofenvironment-friendlyproducts,andtheavailabilityanduseofeco-labellingschemes・Hence,governmentsandbusinessesareresponsibleformuchoftheexternalconditionslimitinganindividualconsumersfreedomtochooseandact,andthereforetheyalsocarrypartoftheresponsibilityforsustainableconsumptionandproductione.g・,Stern,Dietz,Ruttan,Socolow,&Sweeney,1997.Mostgovernments,2atleastintheindustrializedcountries,alsoacknowledgetheirresponsibility・However,analysesoftheirpraxisrevealthatalthoughsomegovernmentsdobetterthanothers,ingeneralgovernments'verbalcommitmentasexpressed,forinstance,atinternationalconferencesandsummitsisonlyreluctantlyandtoalimitedextendtransformedintoactione.g・,Lafferty&Meadowcroft,2000.

Theeffortalsodependsontheconsumer?

smotivation,andnotallconsumersareequallymotivatedtochangetheirlifestyleinasustainabledirection,ofcourse・Somearesoengulfedbytheirownprivatelifeprojectsthattheyhavenoroomforconcernfortheenvironmentorothersocietalproblemsandmanywouldhatetogiveupspeci?

cenvironmentallyharmfulpractices,suchasdrivingagasguzzlingSUVorvisitingfar-awayvacationspotsbyairplane・BothEuropeanTh?

gersen,forthcomingandNorthAmericanDunlap,2002opinionpollsstronglysuggestthatthelevelofenvironmentalconcerniscurrentlynotthemostimportantlimitingfactorforchangingtheconsumptionpatterninasustainabledirection,however・AsIwillargue1ster,afeelingofhelplessnessoratleastlackofself-effcacywithregardtosolvingtheproblemsseemstobeofgreaterimportanceforthelevelofindividualmotivation.Therefore,themainfocushereisonconstraintsthatmightlimitconsumers?

abilitytoadoptasustainablelifestyleandonwaystoreduceimportantconstraints・

Aconsumerempowermentapproachtoconsumerpolicyischaracterizedbyastrongfocusonreducingconstraintsattheindividualleve1・3A1thoughthismakesalotofsensealsowhenthegoalistochangelifestylesinasustainabledirection,theoptionsarewider・Inparticular,consumerpolicyshouldalsoattempttoloosenexternal

constraintsandtoremove

perverse''incentivesMyers&Kent,1998thatmakechangestowardsamoresustainablelifestylediffcult・Intermsofreducingconsumerssubjectivelyfeltrestrictionsontheirabilitytochangelifestyleandtheirperceivedself-effcacy,thetwoapproachesindividuallyandexternallyfocused,respectivelyareequivalent・Ifpartofwhatislackingismotivation,italsoseemsreasonabletospeakaboutmakingtheconsumerempoweredtoful?

lhisorherresponsibilities・Inthisperspective,empowermentisnotonlyaquestionofcapabilities,butalsoofmotivation.Basically,apersonTsfeelingofempowermenthasimplicationsforhowhardheorshewillstrivetosolveenvironmentalandethicalproblemsthroughhisorherownbehaviouralefforte.g・,Ajzen,1988;Geller,1995;Guagnano,Stern,&Dietz,1995;Olander&Th?

gersen,

1995・Hence,policy

thatincreasesafeelingofempowermentor

self-effcacymayalso

haveapositiveeffectonconsumers'motivation

tomakeanefforte.g・,

Pelletier,Dion,Tuson,&Green-Demers,1999,thus

producingactivation

thatgoesbeyondthatdirectlyattributableto

loosenedconstraints.

Inthispaper

Ihavereviewedevidenceregardingtheneedfor

consumerempowerment,

andhowconsumerpolicycanassistinempowering

consumersforamoresustainablelifestyle・Theevidencesuggeststhatalthoughindividualconsumers?

especiallyintheindustrializedworld?

havesomediscretionarypowerovertheirconsumptionpatternandalthoughcurrentlifestylescontributetoresourcedepletionandenvironmentaldegradation,limitedabilitiesandrestrictedopportunities,incombinationwithnormsandincentivessupportingnon-sustainablepractices,makeitdiffcultevenforhighlymotivatedindividualstodoanythingradicaltoimprovethesustainabilityoftheirlifestyles・Andwhenitcomestotheimplementationoflawsandregulationsmakingstructuralconditionsmoreconducivetosustainableconsumptione.g・,introducingenvironmentaltaxes''thescaleofchangehasfallenwellshortoftherhetoric*'Lafferty&Meadowcroft,2000,p.381,asitwasputinonethoroughanalysisofgovernmentpoliciesinnineoftherichestcountriesintheworld・Hence,appealstoindividualconsumerresponsibilityinthisareaeasilygeta?

avourof'"blamingthevictim.''

Still,inajointeffortwheregovernmentsandbusinessesalsodotheirpart,empoweringconsumerstoovercometheirpersonallimitationsaswellastobemoremotivatedandinitiating,isundoubtedlyavaluable,probablyevenindispensable,partofanoverallstrategyforachievingamoresustainableconsumptionpattern.Theevidencepre