scholarly journals Nudges, Norms, or Just Contagion? A Theory on Influences on the Practice of (Non-)Sustainable Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10418
Author(s):  
Carolin V. Zorell

‘Nudging’ symbolizes the widespread idea that if people are only provided with the ‘right’ options and contextual arrangements, they will start consuming sustainably. Opposite to this individual-centered, top-down approach stand observations highlighting the ‘contagiousness’ of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of reference groups or persons present in a decision-context. Tying in these two lines, this paper argues that nudging may sound promising and easily applicable, yet the social dynamics occurring around it can easily distort or nullify its effects. This argument stems from empirical evidence gained in an exploratory observation study conducted in a Swedish cafeteria (N = 1073), which included a ‘nudging’ treatment. In the study, people in groups almost unanimously all chose the same options. After rearranging the choice architecture to make a potentially sustainable choice easier, people stuck to this mimicking behavior—while turning to choose more the non-intended option than before. A critical reflection of extant literature leads to the conclusion that the tendency to mimic each other (unconsciously) is so strong that attempts to nudge people towards certain choices appear overwhelmed. Actions become ‘contagious’; so, if only some people stick to their (consumption) habits, it may be hard to induce more sustainable behaviors through softly changing choice architectures.

Author(s):  
Elif Ulker-Demirel

Socio-economic, political, and socio-cultural changes that occur in specific periods over the years cause changes in social dynamics and social transformations. Generations, who are living in the same historical period and are expected to have similar consumption and lifestyle habits, are now a reference point for the companies and brands to correctly identify target consumers and choose the right communication tools. At this point, the changing technology has influenced the social structure, people and the way companies do business. Besides, the development and diversification of the means of communication by the influence of the internet technologies have caused the differentiation of the consumption behaviors and changed the connections and the ways of reaching the information. In the frame of these changes, the primary purpose is to examine consumption habits in the context of changing lifestyles and priorities of people with the effect of social transformations, as well as to explain the transformation of these changes regarding businesses, brands and communication tools.


2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (02) ◽  
pp. 160-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Årsand ◽  
L. Fernandez-Luque ◽  
J. Lauritzen ◽  
G. Hartvigsen ◽  
T. Chomutare

SummaryBackground: Detecting community structures in complex networks is a problem interesting to several domains. In healthcare, discovering communities may enhance the quality of web offerings for people with chronic diseases. Understanding the social dynamics and community attachments is key to predicting and influencing interaction and information flow to the right patients.Objectives: The goal of the study is to empirically assess the extent to which we can infer meaningful community structures from implicit networks of peer interaction in online healthcare forums.Methods: We used datasets from five online diabetes forums to design networks based on peer-interactions. A quality function based on user interaction similarity was used to assess the quality of the discovered communities to complement existing homophily measures.Results: Results show that we can infer meaningful communities by observing forum interactions. Closely similar users tended to co-appear in the top communities, suggesting the discovered communities are intuitive. The number of years since diagnosis was a significant factor for cohesiveness in some diabetes communities.Conclusion: Network analysis is a tool that can be useful in studying implicit networks that form in healthcare forums. Current analysis informs further work on predicting and influencing interaction, information flow and user interests that could be useful for personalizing medical social media.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saurabh Kumar Srivastava ◽  
Medha Srivastava

Today, when social diversity is more evident than ever and social dynamics are volatile as ever, the biggest challenge before a marketer is to devise an effective and comprehensive scheme of segmentation in order to reach the right audience for her offer. Generations sew the social fabric all over the world and the social setting where multiple generations reside together is indeed a challenge encompassing multitude of opportunities for the marketers. Present paper endeavors to understand the concept of generation and various terms used to classify the cohorts. Moreover, it aims to delineate the characteristics or features of these cohorts in an attempt to offer a generalized picture for marketers to base their marketing strategies upon. In order to avoid losing focus and producing just a generalized snapshot of various generations, this paper focuses upon generations Y and generation Z who are the most active customers and consumers in today’s market place. A thorough and comprehensive review of existing literature demonstrates that both the generations share common traits on account of most of the parameters of comparison. However, there are particular characteristics of each that render them uniqueness and a distinct personality and these characteristics have been summarized at the end of the paper to offer a succinct account of comparison between generation Y and Z.


1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Mealyea

This article examines the tension between qualified tradespersons undergoing a mature-age career change into teaching, vis-à-vis their social relationships with their field-based classroom supervisors in Victorian secondary schools. Insights into the various sources of the tension are gained from the points of view of a cohort of 16 mature-age adults, who each entered teaching possessing a healthy prior occupational identity. The data were derived from a two-year participant observation study including in-depth personal interviews. Hitherto unexamined anomalies in the supervision process are discussed, especially with reference to the powerful effect of a tradesperson's prior occupational self-identity on the social dynamics of the classroom supervision process. The article concludes that mature-age adults, when passing through a status passage career transition, find the process far more problematic than expected.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (19) ◽  
pp. 202010
Author(s):  
João Santos Nahum ◽  
Leonardo de Sousa Santos ◽  
Cleison Bastos dos Santos

USOS Y ABUSO DE LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS POR DENDEICULTURA EN LA AMAZONÍA PARAENSEUSES AND ABUSES ON THE HYDRIC RESOURCES BY THE OIL PALM CULTIVATION IN THE PARÁ’S AMAZONRESUMONo texto sustenta-se que a dendeicultura atua como agrohidronegócio na Amazônia paraense. Enquanto produção do espaço do capital, ela usufrui de recursos hídricos a partir da apropriação da terra, confundindo direito de propriedade com direito à propriedade. Por agrohidronegócio compreende-se uma categoria analítica das tensões, disputas e conflitos territoriais decorrentes da ação do capital para usar e se apropriar dos corpos hídricos no espaço. Entende-se por dendeicultura as determinações espaciais que possibilitam o cultivo do dendezeiro nesta fração da Amazônia e por meio destas reorganizar a paisagem, a configuração espacial e a dinâmica social dos lugares sob sua influência. Mostra-se que a necessidade imperativa de água explica a distribuição dos dendezais nas sub-bacias hidrográficas da microrregião de Tomé-açu, ocasionando impactos ambientais. Por isso cria-se uma representação espacial que oculta tais impactos, nem mesmo a captação de água. Na literatura a água não aparece para esse agrohidronegócio como insumo na composição dos custos da produção de óleos de dendê e nenhuma empresa é cobrada pelo direito de uso. O direito de outorga para captar água parece suficiente para dizer que estão cumpridas as determinações da política nacional de recursos hídricos. Está-se diante de prática que produz uma  representação de espaço onde esse vetor econômico silencia suas responsabilidades, impactos e riscos ambientais e se apresenta como recuperador de áreas degradadas econômica e ambientalmente, gerador de empregos, renda e inclusão social. Palavras-chave: Dendê; Rural; Outorgas; Água; Apropriação.ABSTRACTIt is argued that oil palm cultivation acts as an hydroagricultural business in the Pará’s Amazon. As production of the capital space, it takes advantage of water resources based on the appropriation of land, confusing the right of property with the right to property. Hydroagricultural business is an analytical category of tensions, disputes and territorial conflicts resulting from the action of capital to use and appropriate water bodies in space. Oil palm cultivation is understood as the spatial determinations that make it possible to cultivate oil palm in this part of the Amazon and, through these, reorganize the landscape, the spatial configuration and the social dynamics of the places under its influence. It is shown that the imperative need for water explains the distribution of oil palm in the hydrographic sub-basins of the micro-region of Tomé-açu causing environmental impacts. That is why a spatial representation is created that hides such impacts, not even the water catchment. In the literature, water does not appear to this hydroagricultural business as an input in the composition of the costs of producing palm oil and no company pays for the right to use it. The granting right to collect water seems sufficient to say that the determinations of the national water resources policy are being fulfilled. It is a practice that produces a representation of space where this economic vector silences its responsibilities, impacts and environmental risks and presents itself as a recuperated of degraded areas economically and environmentally, generating jobs and social inclusion.Keywords: Oil Palm; Rural; Grants; Water; Appropriation.RESUMENEl texto argumenta que la dendeicultura actúa como agrohidronegócio en la Amazonía paraense. Mientras produce el espacio de lo capital, disfruta de los recursos hídricos de la apropiación de la tierra, confundiendo los derechos de propiedad con el derecho a la propiedad. Agrohidonegocío es una categoría analítica de tensiones, disputas y conflictos territoriales derivados de la acción del capital para utilizar y cuerpos de agua apropiados en el espacio. La dendeicultura se entiende como las determinaciones espaciales que permiten el cultivo de palma aceitera en esta fracción de la Amazonía y a través de estos reorganizar el paisaje, la configuración espacial y la dinámica social de los lugares bajo su influencia. Se demuestra que la necesidad imperiosa de agua explica la distribución de palmas de aceite en las subcuencas hidrográficas de la microrregión de Tomé-açu, causando impactos ambientales. Por lo tanto, se crea una representación espacial que oculta tales impactos, ni siquiera la captura de agua. En la literatura el agua no aparece para este agrohidronegócio como insumo en la composición de los costos de la producción de aceites de palma y no se cobra a ninguna empresa por el derecho de uso. El derecho de concesión a capturar el agua parece suficiente para decir que se cumplen las determinaciones de la política nacional de recursos hídricos. Se enfrenta a una práctica que produce una representación del espacio donde este vector económico silencia sus responsabilidades, impactos y riesgos ambientales y se presenta como una recuperación de áreas económica y ambientalmente degradadas, generando empleos, ingresos e inclusión social.Palabras clave: Palma Aceitera; Rural; Subvenciones; Agua; Apropiación.


1989 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 1046-1046
Author(s):  
No authorship indicated

2006 ◽  
pp. 54-75
Author(s):  
Klaus Peter Friedrich

Facing the decisive struggle between Nazism and Soviet communism for dominance in Europe, in 1942/43 Polish communists sojourning in the USSR espoused anti-German concepts of the political right. Their aim was an ethnic Polish ‘national communism’. Meanwhile, the Polish Workers’ Party in the occupied country advocated a maximum intensification of civilian resistance and partisan struggle. In this context, commentaries on the Nazi judeocide were an important element in their endeavors to influence the prevailing mood in the country: The underground communist press often pointed to the fate of the murdered Jews as a warning in order to make it clear to the Polish population where a deficient lack of resistance could lead. However, an agreed, unconditional Polish and Jewish armed resistance did not come about. At the same time, the communist press constantly expanded its demagogic confrontation with Polish “reactionaries” and accused them of shared responsibility for the Nazi murder of the Jews, while the Polish government (in London) was attacked for its failure. This antagonism was intensified in the fierce dispute between the Polish and Soviet governments after the rift which followed revelations about the Katyn massacre. Now the communist propaganda image of the enemy came to the fore in respect to the government and its representatives in occupied Poland. It viewed the government-in-exile as being allied with the “reactionaries,” indifferent to the murder of the Jews, and thus acting ultimately on behalf of Nazi German policy. The communists denounced the real and supposed antisemitism of their adversaries more and more bluntly. In view of their political isolation, they coupled them together, in an undifferentiated manner, extending from the right-wing radical ONR to the social democrats and the other parties represented in the underground parliament loyal to the London based Polish government. Thereby communist propaganda tried to discredit their opponents and to justify the need for a new start in a post-war Poland whose fate should be shaped by the revolutionary left. They were thus paving the way for the ultimate communist takeover


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Alice Vianello

This article examines different forms of Ukrainian migrant women’s social remittances, articulating some results of two ethnographic studies: one focused on the migration of Ukrainian women to Italy, and the other on the social impact of emigration in Ukraine. First, the paper illustrates the patterns of monetary remittance management, which will be defined as a specific form of social remittance, since they are practices shaped by systems of norms challenged by migration. In the second part, the article moves on to discuss other types of social remittances transferred by migrant women to their families left behind: the right of self-care and self-realisation; the recognition of alternative and more women-friendly life-course patterns; consumption styles and ideas on economic education. Therefore, I will explore the contents of social remittances, but also the gender and intergenerational conflicts that characterise these flows of cultural resources. 


This research article focuses on the theme of violence and its representation by the characters of the novel “This Savage Song” by Victoria Schwab. How violence is transmitted through genes to next generations and to what extent socio- psycho factors are involved in it, has also been discussed. Similarly, in what manner violent events and deeds by the parents affect the psychology of children and how it inculcates aggressive behaviour in their minds has been studied. What role is played by the parents in grooming the personality of children and ultimately their decisions to choose the right or wrong way has been argued. In the light of the theory of Judith Harris, this research paper highlights all the phenomena involved: How the social hierarchy controls the behaviour. In addition, the aggressive approach of the people in their lives has been analyzed in the light of the study of second theorist Thomas W Blume. As the novel is a unique representation of supernatural characters, the monsters, which are the products of some cruel deeds, this research paper brings out different dimensions of human sufferings with respect to these supernatural beings. Moreover, the researcher also discusses that, in what manner the curse of violence creates an inevitable vicious cycle of cruel monsters that makes the life of the characters turbulent and miserable.


Asian Survey ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry M. Raulet ◽  
Jogindar S. Uppal

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