Beyond the ABC: Climate Change Policy and Theories of Social Change
Top Cited Papers
- 1 June 2010
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
- Vol. 42 (6), 1273-1285
- https://doi.org/10.1068/a42282
Abstract
In this short and deliberately provocative paper I reflect on what seems to be a yawning gulf between the potential contribution of the social sciences and the typically restricted models and concepts of social change embedded in contemporary environmental policy in the UK, and in other countries too. As well as making a strong case for going beyond what I refer to as the dominant paradigm of ‘ABC’—attitude, behaviour, and choice—I discuss the attractions of this model, the blind spots it creates, and the forms of governance it sustains. This exercise provides some insight into why so much relevant social theory remains so marginalised, and helps identify opportunities for making better use of existing intellectual resources.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissionsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- Explaining Showering: A Discussion of the Material, Conventional, and Temporal Dimensions of PracticeSociological Research Online, 2005
- System Innovation and the Transition to SustainabilityPublished by Edward Elgar Publishing ,2004
- Orchestrating Concepts: Kitchen Dynamics and Regime Change inGood HousekeepingandIdeal Home, 1922–2002Home Cultures, 2004
- Splintering UrbanismPublished by Taylor & Francis Ltd ,2002
- Innovative Junctions: Office Technologies in the Netherlands, 1880-1980Technology and Culture, 2002
- Overcoming the ‘value‐action gap’ in environmental policy: Tensions between national policy and local experienceLocal Environment, 1999
- The Politics of Environmental DiscoursePublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,1997
- The theory of planned behaviorOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 1991
- Innovation: Mapping the winds of creative destructionResearch Policy, 1985