Power and politics in sustainable consumption research and practice

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Author biographies -- Introduction: Power, politics, and (un)sustainable consumption -- SECTION I: On political economy and global process -- 1. A consuming globalism: On power and the post-Paris Agreement politics of climate and consumption -- 2. Practice does not make perfect: Sustainable consumption, practice theory, and the question of power -- 3. Sources of power for sustainable consumption: Where to look -- SECTION II: On governmentality and the notion of the subject in sustainable consumption -- 4. Pro-environmental behaviour change and governmentality: Counter-conduct and the making up of environmental individuals -- 5. Freedom, autonomy, and sustainable behaviours: The politics of designing consumer choice -- 6. The 'double dividend' discourse in sustainable consumption: A critical commentary -- SECTION III: On the politics of identity and difference in sustainable consumption -- 7. Housing as a function of consumption and production in the United Kingdom -- 8. Power and politics in the (work-life) balance: A mixed methods evaluation of the risks and rewards of downshifting -- 9. Who participates in community-based sustainable consumption projects and why does it matter? A constructively critical approach -- Index.

Introduction : power, politics and unsustainable consumption / Lucie Middlemiss, Cindy Isenhour, Mari Martiskainen -- A consuming globalism : on power and the post-Paris Agreement politics of climate and consumption / Cindy Isenhour -- Practice does not make perfect : sustainable consumption, practice theory and the question of power / Dennis Soron -- Sources of power for sustainable consumption : where to look / Doris Fuchs, Sylvia Lorek, Antonietta Di Giulio, Rico Defila -- Pro-environmental behaviour change and governmentality : counter-conduct and the making up of environmental individuals / Tom Hargreaves -- Freedom, autonomy and sustainable behaviours : the politics of designing consumer choice / Tobias Gumbert -- The "double dividend" discourse in sustainable consumption : a critical commentary / Lucie Middlemiss, David Wingate and Anna Wesselink -- Housing as a function of consumption and production in the United Kingdom / Mari Martiskainen -- Power and politics in the (work-life) balance : a mixed methods evaluation of the risks and rewards of downshifting / Jacob Hammond & Emily Huddart Kennedy -- Who participates in community-based sustainable consumption projects and why does it matter? : a constructively critical approach / Manisha Anantharaman, Emily Huddart Kennedy, Lucie Middlemiss and Sarah Bradbury.

With growing awareness of environmental deterioration, atmospheric pollution and resource depletion, the last several decades have brought increased attention and scrutiny to global consumption levels. However, there are significant and well documented limitations associated with current efforts to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, ranging from informational and time constraints to the highly individualizing effect of market-based participation. This volume, featuring essays solicited from experts engaged in sustainable consumption research from around the world, presents empirical and theoretical illustrations of the various means through which politics and power influence (un)sustainable consumption practices, policies and perspectives. With chapters on compelling topics including collective action, behaviour-change and the transition movement, the authors discuss why current efforts have largely failed to meet environmental targets and explore promising directions for research, policy and practice. Featuring contributions that will help the reader open up politics and power in ways that are accessible and productive and bridge the gaps with current approaches to sustainable consumption, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable consumption and the politics of sustainability.