Freedom, autonomy, and sustainable behaviours: The politics of designing consumer choice

Gumbert, Tobias

doi:10.4324/9781315165509-5

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, if citizens are constantly addressed as consumers and not as political subjects, and they feel they are doing everything they can to transform the system by buying better products, the collective imagination of how the production and distribution of food is organised is severely narrowed. Understanding food politics in this sense replaces democratic deliberation with expert knowledge, dialogue with behavioural modifications, and persuasive arguments with designed options (Gumbert, 2019). Given that these strategies can be expected to further proliferate in sustainabilityrelated fields to target consumption choices, suggestions to inform policy design are all the more important and the concept of food democracy may very well function as a guiding principle to develop a renewed ethics to ground behaviour change strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within behavioural economics, choice architects should aim to manage individual choices "by attempting to correct their [individuals] deviations from rational, self-interested, utilitymaximising cognition and behaviour" (McMahon, 2015, p. 137). It is however important that individuals do so willingly; while their choices may be steered towards contributing to macro-sustainability statistics-i.e., the sum of sustainable behaviours by consumers, such as green purchasing or anti-food waste practices-it is important to preserve, improve and insist upon individual choice (McMahon, 2015, p. 153) in order to uphold individual freedom and autonomous decision-making as central governing principles (Gumbert, 2019). Accepting personal responsibility functions as a gateway to ensure and control the freedom of active subjects by increasingly directing and regulating individuals' beliefs, desires, lifestyles and actions (Foucault, Davidson, & Burchell, 2008, p. 67).…”

Section: Food Democracy and The Dangers Of Responsibilisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Anti-Democratic Tenets? Behavioural-Economic Imaginaries of a Future Food System

Gumbert

2019

PaG

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article makes the central argument that basic democratic values such as justice, autonomy and participation run the risk of being neglected when designing ‘nudges’ (i.e., indirect suggestions to influence individual behaviour) for sustainable behaviour change in the context of food governance, potentially complicating a democratisation of the food system. ‘Nudges’ uphold freedom of choice while simultaneously advocating a non-coercive soft force of paternalism to help people realise their preferences, maximise societal well-being and meet macro-sustainability goals. While the promises of the ‘nudge’ approach are widely echoed, nudging is also being contested because of its possible anti-democratic effects, such as individualisation, depoliticization and the emphasis of the status of citizens as ‘consumer-citizens.’ From a food democracy perspective, these dangers may undermine efforts to organise collective political action and impede alternative visions of a future food system. Empirically, the article examines specifically how behavioural-economic approaches imagine transitions to a more sustainable food system. By using the “COOP Supermarket of the Future” as a case study, the following analysis will illustrate how private actors are increasingly involved in steering consumer choice towards socially desirable actions. The analysis suggests that the design of choice environments may under specific circumstances increase the susceptibility of individuals to the influence of corporate preferences and simultaneously decrease the prospects for democratic legitimation and decision-making. The article therefore critically assesses whether reforming the food system by altering consumers’ choice-sets and the attribution of personal responsibility, may in fact point towards implicit anti-democratic tenets underlying the ‘will to nudge’ citizens.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Food Democracy and The Dangers Of Responsibilisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Democratic Tenets? Behavioural-Economic Imaginaries of a Future Food System

Gumbert

2019

PaG

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Consumer decision-making in general tends to focus on maximising utility for the individual consumer [34][35][36]. However, sustainable consumer choices extend beyond immediate personal benefits, encompassing long-term benefits for society and the environment [4].…”

Section: Sustainable Consumption Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Behaviour in a Circular System – How Values Promote and Hinder the Participation of Young Adults in the Swedish Deposit-Refund System for Beverage Packaging

Kremel

2023

Circ.Econ.Sust.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study contributes to the understanding of how values promote and hinder circular consumer behaviour by examining and learning from the Swedish deposit-refund system for beverage cans and PET bottles. We have used the consumption value theory in our analysis, building on the concepts of circular economy, sustainable consumption and recycling. Data was collected from focus group interviews with young adults in order to identify and explore the ways that values promote and hinder participation. Functional values were found to be at the core of sustainable consumption as a result of financial incentives and the fact that consumers value convenience. The study also highlights the importance that young adults place on emotional values, in particular embarrassment, which hinders them from recycling. When it comes to sustainable consumption, young adults are driven by selfish behaviour, prioritising personal comfort. Social settings were also found to promote and hinder participation in the deposit-refund system. The study finds that an understanding of the reasons why different social groups and age groups approve or disapprove of participation in circular solutions may help design solutions to increase participation in circular solutions and circular economies. The results show that it is important to study the combinations of value dimensions to understand consumer behaviour in a circular system fully.

show abstract

“…Every organization member or individual motivation is very important for the success of any institution. Good organizations always try to keep their members motivated and satisfied with their work [4]. In the higher education field, teachers or lecturers can be considered as pillars of community development because they bear the responsibility of educating and training students until they become important agents to develop their country [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Lecturer Motivation Scales: A Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

Nur¹,

Disman²,

Ahman³

et al. 2022

Proceedings of the 6th Global Conference on Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship (GCBME 2021)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study explained further about the scale as the solution by using confirmatory factor analysis in testing the lecturer motivation at the Indonesia University of Education (UPI) Regional Campus Tasikmalaya. Quantitative analysis methods were used for data collection and they were analyzed using AMOS. A two-level confirmatory factor analysis technique was used in the hypothesized model with six latent variables, namely career love, salary, promotions and incentives, social factors, ethical codes, and classroom environment. The results of the study revealed an adequate goodness-of-fit index of the hypothesized model using the fit index criteria. From the weight of the dimensions obtained, it can be seen that the dimension of social factors was the most dominant dimension in shaping lecturer motivation. The dimension that gave the least influence in shaping lecturer motivation was the classroom environment. This research implies that lecturers can find out the main characteristics that shape their motivation to be used as reflection and evaluation in the context of self-optimization.

show abstract

Freedom, autonomy, and sustainable behaviours: The politics of designing consumer choice

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Anti-Democratic Tenets? Behavioural-Economic Imaginaries of a Future Food System

Anti-Democratic Tenets? Behavioural-Economic Imaginaries of a Future Food System

Consumer Behaviour in a Circular System – How Values Promote and Hinder the Participation of Young Adults in the Swedish Deposit-Refund System for Beverage Packaging

Measuring Lecturer Motivation Scales: A Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About