Beyond the ABC: climate change policy and theories of social change
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.
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A social practice approach broadens the perspective on food waste generation and allows to move beyond individual psychological factors such as attitudes, behaviour, and choice.
“A social practice approach broadens the perspective on food waste generation and allows to move beyond individual psychological factors such as attitudes, behaviour, and choice (see e.g.Shove, 2010 for a critical appraisal).”
From Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications (2018) · cites this paper as Shove, 2010
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- Authors
- Shove, E.
- Affiliations
- Lancaster University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Shove, Elizabeth
- ORCID
- Shove, Elizabeth
- Venue
- Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1273-1285
- ISSN
- 0308-518X (ISSN-L)
- 1472-3409
- OpenAlex
- W2014075123
- Cited by
- 2,439
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 135 · 2025: 112 · 2024: 189 · 2023: 172 · 2022: 152 · 2021: 197 · 2020: 206 · 2019: 207 · 2018: 201 · 2017: 178 · 2016: 142 · 2015: 167 · 2014: 149 · 2013: 101 · 2012: 79
- FWCI
- 66.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environment and Planning A Economy and Space (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/F037538/1)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Sustainable Development
- Keywords
- climate policy, social change, ABC model, social theory, environmental governance, UK environmental policy
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