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？

外文翻译

外文翻译

HowcanConsumerpolicyempowerconsumersforchanginglifestyles?

materialSource:

JournalofConsumerPolicyAuthor:

JohnThogersen

Consumerpolicycanempowerconsumersforchanginglifestylesbyreducingpersonalconstraintsandlimitations,butitshouldalsoattempttoloosensomeoftheexternalconstraintsthatmakechangestowardsamoresustainablelifestyledif?

cult.Intermsofreducingconsumers’subjectivelyfeltrestrictionsontheirabilitytochangelifestyle,thetwoapproachesareequivalent.Policiesthatincreaseafeelingofempowermentmayalsohaveapositiveeffectonconsumers’motivationtomakeaneffort,thusamplifyingitseffects.Inthispaperbothtypesofconstraintsonlifestylechangesinasustainabledirectionarediscussedaswellaspoliciesforreducingconstraints.Possiblemotivationaleffectsoftheproposedpoliciesarealsooutlined.

Atleastjudgedbyitsoutcome,itseemsthatconsumersintherichpartsoftheworldmakelessofaneffortatchangingtheirlifestyleinasustainabledirectionthanisdesiredbysocietyandthanisintheirowncollectivelong-terminterest.‘‘Sustainable’’herereferstoalevelandpatternofconsumptionwhichmeetstheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerationstomeettheirownneedsWorldcommissiononEnvironmentandDevelopment,1987.Itisgenerallyagreedbytheinternationalcommunitythatcurrentlifestylesbya?

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

AnnaninpreparationfortheJohannesburgSummit,itwasconcludedthat“ProgresstowardsthegoalsestablishedatRiohasbeenslowerthananticipatedandinsomerespectsconditionsareworsethantheywere10yearsago.’’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‘‘blamingthevictim’’strategies,thatis,blamingconsumersforunsustainablelifestyleswhen‘‘macroconditionsexistwhichcanbeblamedforcontributingtotheproblemorconstrainingtheeffectivenessofindividualeffortse.g.,companiesthatdonotprovideecologicallyfriendlyproducts,governmentinactivity’’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,governmentsandbusinessesareresponsibleformuchoftheexternalconditionslimitinganindividualconsumer’sfreedomtochooseandact,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.AsIwillarguelater,afeelingofhelplessnessoratleastlackofself-effcacywithregardtosolvingtheproblemsseemstobeofgreaterimportanceforthelevelofindividualmotivation.Therefore,themainfocushereisonconstraintsthatmightlimitconsumers’abilitytoadoptasustainablelifestyleandonwaystoreduceimportantconstraints.

Aconsumerempowermentapproachtoconsumerpolicyischaracterizedbyastrongfocusonreducingconstraintsattheindividuallevel.3Althoughthismakesalotofsensealsowhenthegoalistochangelifestylesinasustainabledirection,theoptionsarewider.Inparticular,consumerpolicyshouldalsoattempttoloosenexternalconstraintsandtoremove‘‘perverse’’incentivesMyers&Kent,1998thatmakechangestowardsamoresustainablelifestylediffcult.Intermsofreducingconsumers’subjectivelyfeltrestrictionsontheirabilitytochangelifestyleandtheirperceivedself-effcacy,thetwoapproachesindividuallyandexternallyfocused,respectivelyareequivalent.Ifpartofwhatislackingismotivation,italsoseemsreasonabletospeakaboutmakingtheconsumerempoweredtoful?

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

gersen,1995.Hence,policythatincreasesafeelingofempowermentorself-effcacymayalsohaveapositiveeffectonconsumers’motivationtomakeanefforte.g.,Pelletier,Dion,Tuson,&Green-Demers,1999,thusproducingactivationthatgoesbeyondthatdirectlyattributabletoloosenedconstraints.

InthispaperIhavereviewedevidenceregardingtheneedforconsumerempowerment,andhowconsumerpolicycanassistinempoweringconsumersforamoresustainablelifestyle.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.Theevidencepresentedabovepointedatmanythingsthatc