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This book offers a fresh look at sustainable consumption, exploring how grassroots community action can spread ideas in society. It presents a 'New Economics' approach based on alternative measures of wealth and value, examining how these are put into practice through local organic food systems, low-impact eco-housing, and complementary currencies.
The emergence of voluntary corporate codes of conduct since the early 1990s is both a manifestation of and a response to the process of globalization. They have been part of a more general shift away from state regulation of transnational corporations towards corporate self-regulation in the areas of labour and environmental standards and human rights. This work provides a critical perspective on the growth and significance of corporate codes with a particular focus on working conditions and labour rights. It brings together work by academics, practitioners and activists.
Provides an internationally grounded and critical review of grassroots sustainability enterprises, focusing on the processes that lead to their formation, the governing context that shapes their evolution, the benefits they create and the challenges that they face in different contexts.
The phenomenon of consumption has increasingly drawn attention from economists. While the ‘sole purpose of production is consumption’, as Adam Smith has claimed, economists have up to recently generally ignored the topic. This book brings together a range of different perspectives on the topic of consumption that will finally shed the necessary light on a largely neglected theme, such as Why is the consumption of symbolic goods different than that of goods that are not constitutive of individuals’ identity? How does the consumption of symbolic goods affect social processes and economic phenomena? Will taking consumption (of symbolic goods) seriously impact economics itself? The book discusses these issues theoretically, and, through analyses of such cases as food, religion, fashion, empirically as well. It also discusses the possible role in the future of consumption. This book was previously published as a special issue of Review of Social Economy
Within the disciplines of social, economic, and evolutionary science, a proud ignorance can often be found of the other areas’ approaches. This text provides a novel intellectual basis for breaking this trend. Certainly, Human Sciences and Human Interests aspires to open a broad debate about what scholars in the different human sciences assume, imply or explicitly claim with regard to human interests. Mikael Klintman draws the reader to the core of human sciences - how they conceive human interests, as well as how interests embedded within each discipline relate to its claims and recommendations. Moreover, by comparing theories as well as concrete examples of research on health and environ...
This new book covers the origins purposes, trends and controversies of the United Nations' global conferences. There are 30 such conferences to compare, and many argue that they have not been worth the money spent on them. Others, however, suggest that they offer the only effective way to address global problems, like racism, sexism, overpopulation, environmental degradation, overfishing, urbanization, and the proliferation of small arms. This is the first comprehensive study of this key topic, delivering information essential to the ongoing debate on multilateralism, with examinations of: * the typical structure of a conference * description of the Global Conferences * substantive and institutional outcomes of the conferences * changes resulting from the conferences * UN Conferences as mechanisms for coping with the problems of the 21st Century This book is essential reading for students of the United Nations, international organisation and global governance, as well as practitioners from non-governmental organizations.
Focusing upon microfinance and micro-credit issues, the contributors to this volume ask just what role does earning play in transforming the power relations between men and women? How far does a change in gender roles affect beliefs about who has the power in the household, the marketplace or that state?
Despite enduring whispers, sideway glances, and blatant discrimination, men and women today are choosing to remain single—and are enjoying complete and joyful lives. In this carefully crafted, thoroughly researched book, Elyakim Kislev delivers groundbreaking insights on the fastest growing demographic in the world: singles. Happy Singlehood investigates how unmarried people create satisfying lives in a world where social structures and policies are still designed to favor married couples. The book challenges readers to rethink how single people organize social and familial life in new ways, and illuminates how educators, policymakers, and urban planners ignore their needs. Based on personal interviews, singles’ writings, and widespread quantitative analysis, Happy Singlehood investigates how singles nurture social networks, create innovative communities, and effectively deal with discrimination. Showcasing voices of singles, Kislev charts a way forward to assist singles to live life on their terms, and explains how everyone—single or otherwise—benefits from the freedom to develop new and fulfilling lifestyles.
Legal Sources in Business and Human Rights engages with some evolving trends that are currently affecting the international and EU law sources in the field of Business and Human Rights. Three main dynamics are detected and explored: the emergence of international legal obligations that are also binding on corporations (Part I); the growing participation of corporations in traditional international standard-setting and law-making processes and, in parallel, the emergence of atypical and heterogeneous law-making processes (Part II); the formal or substantive hardening of originally soft normative standards, through a multi-layered and multi-player law-making process (Part III). Interestingly, these trends concur to mitigate States’ reluctance to accept binding rules in this field, and to strengthen the effectiveness of soft international regulation.
Despite increasing public awareness of climate change, our behaviours relating to consumption and energy use remain largely unchanged. This book answers the urgent call for effective engagement methods to foster sustainable lifestyles, community action, and social change. Written by practitioners and academics, the chapters combine theoretical perspectives with case studies and practical guidance, examining what works and what doesn't, and providing transferable lessons for future engagement approaches. Showcasing innovative thought and approaches from around the world, this book is essential reading for anyone working to foster real and lasting behavioural and social change.