4.90 €
Preview
Keywords: environment; sociology
-
More...Keywords: -
-
More...Keywords: sustainability; participation; new social movements; western Mexico; agroecology; fair trade
The article describes the experience of the Network for Sustainable Agricultural Alternatives (RASA: Red de Alternativas Sustentables Agropecuarias) in western Mexico, which can be considered an initiative of civil society constituted by different social actors constructing new strategies for sustainable rural development. Presented here are different aspects of the RASA, whose work focuses on farmer training in agroecology and, recently also, fair trade practices, the insights gained and the challenges that lie ahead for strengthening sustainable rural development. The RASA can be considered a social organization with characteristics of the so-called new social movements that seek for an increasing role of civil society in political decision-making, in this case regarding rural development in Mexico.
More...Keywords: environmental attitudes; pro-environmental behaviour; energy consumption; electricity use; post-socialist societies
This paper addresses the question of whether the evidence on positive relationship between environmental attitudes and household energy consumption in advanced post-industrial societies can be extended to emerging economies. In this study, we focused on electricity use and utilized multivariate regression to test the above hypothesis on a sample of residents of Óbuda (Budapest) in February 2011. The analysis suggests that the findings on the positive environmental attitude-behaviour relationship in advanced post-industrial societies can be extended to some (relatively affluent) communities in post-socialist societies. Our data also showed that the effects of housing type and demography are much larger compared to the effects of the attitudes. We emphasize that our findings do not provide evidence against the hypothesis on the interaction between the effects of societal culture and individual attitudes on pro-environmental behaviour.
More...Keywords: environmental concern; climate change; measurement construction
Environmental concern is a highly relevant concept in the context of environmental change and increasing demand for political regulation of environmental protection. In order to prevent climate change, loss in global biodiversity or other highly critical environmental issues, we need to understand why (and why not) citizens support environmental politics. However, there is no measure without a concept, and empirical results might be biased if they are not operationalized according to well defined (theoretical and methodological) criteria. This research endeavor focuses on historical and more recent developments of the concept of individual environmental concern. It will be demonstrated that environmental concern is not only a distinct concept excluding behavior and knowledge, but is also rather complex addressing geographical as well as temporal issues. Most recent developments suggesting a hierarchical multi-dimensional character will be discussed and examples of the most relevant empirical measures and scales will be evaluated.
More...Keywords: Energy-related renovation; climate change; Bulgaria; Latvia; qualitative study
Do apartment owners in Bulgaria and Latvia carry out energy-saving practices in their homes, and what are the justifications thereof? Do they relate these practices to climate change or to their environmental knowledge? These are the main questions investigated in this research. Data are drawn from a qualitative survey of dwellers’ renovation activities and the motivations thereof. Results indicate that the poor conditions of multi-apartment buildings and the feeling of being cold or uncomfortable are sufficient levers driving energy-related renovations in privately-owned apartments. Environmental concern is never expressed as a lever for undertaking renovation, either in Bulgaria or in Latvia and there exist some scepticism and misunderstanding concerning climate change.
More...Keywords: nature-society interactions; Mediterranean ecosystems; sociology; ecology interdisciplinarity; overuse; Calanques
This article provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the notion of overuse in natural areas. Based on the case of the French Calanques massif (located along the Mediterranean coast between Marseilles and Cassis), sociology and biology combine their analyses to examine the social processes behind the increasingly widespread use of natural areas and the ecological consequences thereof. The data are comprised of interdisciplinary research based on eighty semi-structured interviews conducted on-site and 330 telephone survey questionnaires. We critically analyse of the notion of overuse and underscore the socio-economic, cultural and ideological weight it carries in the context of socio-natural change; this calls into question the relevance of the ancient nature/culture dichotomy. Drawing on theoretical tools from environmental sociology, this article also provides some perspectives for natural area managers.
More...Keywords: disposition of forces; environmental movement (EM); mobilization; phases of conflict; political opportunity structure (POS); state; values; Russia
The paper is aimed at the analysis of evolution of values and disposition of forces involved in the long-term international conflict around the closure of the pulp and paper mill (P&PM) and the reconstruction of the company town of Baykalsk, both located near Lake Baikal, the biggest freshwater lake in the world. The conflict’s six phases are: construction and opening of the pulp and paper mill, P&PM (1967-84); the perestroika (1985-90); the collapse of the USSR (1991); the Russian financial crisis (1998); the struggle against the tracing of a transnational oil pipe-line near Baikal shore (2001-06); and the economic crisis (2008). In each phase, the activity of Russian environmentalists is considered under the following aspects: political opportunity structure, main actors, constituency, key values, forms of activity, kind of mobilization and resources for it, and the outcome of the struggle. The paper is focused on the evolution of the relationship between the state and the environmental movement.
More...Keywords: climate change; hemeneutics; interdisciplinarity; environmental sociology
Redclift (2011) provided a timely and perhaps deliberately provocative overview of sociological writings on climate change and the disciplinary problems of a post carbon world for environmental sociology. This comment emphasizes that he never actually clarifies what exactly are those problems that sociology faces in its attempt to open up a space for itself in the field of climate research. This omission also leads to unnecessary claims regarding the state of social science research on climate change as well as unspecified calls for more interdisciplinarity in sociological analysis of contemporary societies’ carbon dependence.
More...
Keywords: alcohol control policy; alcohol retail; licencing
The purpose of this article is to identify interference that prevents to manage alcohol-related harm. Article analyses the purpose of alcohol control policy and it‘s connection with alcohol-related harm, and alcohol retail licensing. Article is based on scientific literature, law acts and statistical data. The main conclusion is that the definition of alcohol control policy purpose is not clear and the meaning of it is not connected with reduction of alcohol-related harm. It is necessary to revise and redefine the purpose by relating it with criminality prevention, safety in neighbourhoods and roads, reduction of social harm in private sphere. Now, the priority is given to the technical regulation of retail and production. Alcohol control policy obliges local authorities to pursue only the administrative function – retail licensing. Local governments also have powers to form the alcohol control policy, for example, limit the time and places of selling alcohol. This function is recommendatory, so only a few local governments use it. City councils are not obliged to pursue the alcohol control policy and it‘s monitoring. Regulation of retail licensing is related with technical requirements for the quality and safety of alcohol. It‘s also connected with requirements for selling surroundings and debts for budgets of national and local governments. Whether the license will be suspended or abolished depends on violation of technical requirements and conditions that are written in license. It is not connected with criminality, noise or other alcohol-related harm. Prohibition of selling liquor for under-age and intoxicated persons is connected with reduction of alcohol-related harm, but sanctions are only for selling alcohol to under-age persons. Licensing is not used enough to discipline the sellers. More powers must be given to police in order to make bigger influence on retail licensing process because now the police is allowed to control only the criminality and the violation of public order that is made by intoxicated persons. It also controls liquor selling to under-age persons but it has no powers in retail licensing.
More...
Keywords: single supervisory mechanism; bank recovery and resolution; resolution authority; resolution tools; European central bank
Over the financial crisis, the ability of authorities to manage crises both domestically and in cross-border situations has been severely tested. The financial crisis exposed many problems within the global financial system and in the way it was regulated and governed. Financial market regulators did not accurately identified the risk of the banks taken in securitization procedures and did not estimated the losses that could appear in case of the systemic crisis. This led to chaotic bank crisis resolution and extraordinary financial cost suffered by Member States. Hence, the taxpayers were called upon billions of euro to recapitalize the banks in order to prevent the contagion risk. These failures of efficient prudential supervision and lack of regulation in banking restructuring and resolution has led to a need to create a banking union in the European Union which should assure the sufficient capital requirements of the banks and harmonized deposit guarantee scheme, also creation of the single supervisory mechanism and (single) banking recovery and resolution mechanism. Some of the legislative initiatives are agreed, others are under negotiation processes and an important single resolution mechanism proposal is still under in drafting process. As for public policy of the European Union the most important legislative procedures are single supervisory mechanism (SRM) and banking restructuring and resolution (RRD). The said proposals will centralize the prudential supervision in the hands of European central bank and provide harmonized approach on bank rcoery and resolution mechanisms. However, the centralization of the prudential supervision within euro-zone and non-euro zone member states that are willing to join the SSM will have a significant impact on the national public administration systems. Therefore, there is a need of scientific analysis of this phenomena. Hence, the article considers possible positive and negative the implications of the SSM and RRD on national public administration systems and stresses the main problematic issues (efficacy of centralized supervision, funding of the resolution, institutions that could be a resolution authority). The author stresses that in overall the RRD proposal will enforce the structured and also more efficient supervision and would definitely reduce the risk of spending taxpayers’ money in banks’ resolution. As regards to SSM, the author claims that the centralized model could be efficient only in cases where the domestic supervisory institution provides the sufficient know-how for the European central bank.
More...
Keywords: petition; right to petition; legislative initiatives
The right to petition is one of the measures to identify citizens participation in legislative process. On one hand this article is aimed at giving a retrospective view of the implementation of right to petition in Lithuania. On the other hand, its aim is to identify general trends of application of petition institute in Lithuania. The research is grounded on the social researches which were carried out during the years of 2004 – 2012. It is also based on the work experience of Commission of Petitions in Lithuania’s Parliament. The research shows that the right to petition is more effective to individual persons compared to other regulations in the field of legislative initiatives. The analysis confirms assumption that citizens have a different conception of right to petition than it is formulated in Lithuania’s Law on Petitions. Petitions are perceived as one of the instruments to express their opinion, but not as an instrument of legislative initiatives. This situation requires one of the possible solutions - either to make a regulatory change, or to implement educational programs that enable people to use the right of petition more effectively. The data of work experience of Commission of Petitions in national Parliament shows that legal awareness of applicant is increasing, but also observed a negative trend to abuse a right to petition.
More...