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The Role of Formal and Informal Forces in Shaping Consumption and Implications for Sustainable Society: Part II

Author

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  • Kate Power

    (Copenhagen Resource Institute, Højbro Plads 4, DK-1200 Copenhagen, Denmark)

  • Oksana Mont

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, P.O. Box 196, Tegnersplatsen 4, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

Looking at consumption from a societal perspective, we can see that purchasing and behavior decisions are influenced by many factors, not the least which are what the people around us and in the media are doing. Other factors include economic influences, the marketing of products and technological innovations, and regulations governing consumption. This article, Part II, argues that in order to understand consumption, we need to move beyond the dominant (economic) understanding of consumers and consumer behavior, and think about the origins of our preferences, needs, and desires. A thorough understanding of consumption is informed by the contributions of sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and behavioral scientists, who study the socio-cultural, social, and psychological contexts in which consumer behavior is embedded. These disciplines offer rich and complex explanations of human behavior, which in turn illuminate the discussion on how consumer behavior can be made more sustainable.

Suggested Citation

  • Kate Power & Oksana Mont, 2010. "The Role of Formal and Informal Forces in Shaping Consumption and Implications for Sustainable Society: Part II," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(8), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:2:y:2010:i:8:p:2573-2592:d:9243
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Røpke, Inge, 2009. "Theories of practice -- New inspiration for ecological economic studies on consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2490-2497, August.
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    2. I. Gåvertsson & L. Milios & C. Dalhammar, 2020. "Quality Labelling for Re-used ICT Equipment to Support Consumer Choice in the Circular Economy," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 353-377, June.
    3. Marlena Piekut, 2018. "The Segmentation of Polish One-Person Households Due to Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Matthias Barth & Daniel Fischer & Gerd Michelsen & Claudia Nemnich & Horst Rode, 2012. "Tackling the Knowledge–Action Gap in Sustainable Consumption: Insights from a Participatory School Programme," Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, , vol. 6(2), pages 301-312, September.
    5. Leonidas Milios & Mitsutaka Matsumoto, 2019. "Consumer Perception of Remanufactured Automotive Parts and Policy Implications for Transitioning to a Circular Economy in Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Eva Hageman & Vikas Kumar & Linh Duong & Archana Kumari & Eileen McAuliffe, 2024. "Do fast fashion sustainable business strategies influence attitude, awareness and behaviours of female consumers?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 1081-1098, February.

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