The crisis in employment and consumer demand: Reconciliation with environmental sustainability

Ash́ford, Nicholas A.; Hall, Ralph P.; Ashford, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.eist.2012.01.002

Cited by 43 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, Ashford, et al (2012) reports that since the global financial crisis there is a preoccupation with economic growth and finance, and it is still unknown what effect this will have on the environment and attitudes towards the environment. Declining purchasing power and earning capacity may limit wasteful consumption, however behavior is not always consistent with attitudes [3,4]. Consumption patterns in developed countries are unsustainable [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Evaluation of Settlement Sustainability Policy (QESSP); Forward Planning for 26 Irish Settlements

Fitzgerald

O'Doherty²,

Moles

et al. 2015

Sustainability

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Urban areas are increasingly associated with negative environmental impacts due to concentrated resource consumption; however urban areas also offer economies of scale in terms of service provision. There is no accepted mechanism to aid decision-makers in policy selection to determine where to promote population growth or how to select settlement specific policies to improve sustainability of urban areas. There is strong political desire for methods assessing policy implementation impact on overall sustainability targets, but this has proved challenging, as views on the meaning of sustainability vary, and methods developed satisfying scientists' needs for rigor are deemed too complex and inadequately transparent by decision-makers. Sustainability measurement is vital to check whether a new policy, decision or technical innovation is helpful in enhancing sustainability. By 2055 estimates indicate that 75 percent of the world population will live in urban areas, highlighting the importance of promoting low cost policy decisions providing greatest environmental benefit, with short implementation timescale. This paper describes an evidence-based method developed and piloted to address these drivers and provide a decision support system for planners and policy-makers developed for Irish settlements with population range 500-20,000, which may have application elsewhere. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 1820

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Evaluation of Settlement Sustainability Policy (QESSP); Forward Planning for 26 Irish Settlements

Fitzgerald

O'Doherty²,

Moles

et al. 2015

Sustainability

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“…The section begins with a theoretical clarification drawing from the field of binary economics. The metric of productivity is distinguished from productiveness, a confusion that is at the root of much misunderstanding in economic discussions and in attempts to address labor market concerns [4]. Section 3 finds no unequivocal link between working hours and productivity, and indeed hints to many possible ways in which less work hours may improve labor productiveness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is no greater source of social and political instability and desperation (social exclusion) than a widespread lack of people's earning capacity and purchasing power. Insufficient opportunities to work (unemployment) and inadequately-paying and insufficientlyskilled jobs (underemployment) are the major social issue and challenge facing both developed and developing countries [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Friday off”: Reducing Working Hours in Europe

et al. 2013

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This article explores the pros and cons for reducing working hours in Europe. To arrive to an informed judgment we review critically the theoretical and empirical literature, mostly from economics, concerning the relation between working hours on the one hand, and productivity, employment, quality of life, and the environment, on the other. We adopt a binary economics distinction between capital and labor productiveness, and are concerned with how working hours may be reduced without harming the earning capacity of workers. There are reasons to believe that reducing working hours may absorb some unemployment, especially in the short-run, even if less than what is advocated by proponents of the proposal. Further, there may well be strong benefits for the quality of peoples' lives. Environmental benefits are likely but depend crucially on complementary policies or social conditions that will ensure that the time liberated will not be directed to resource-intensive or environmentally harmful consumption. It is questionable whether reduced working hours are sustainable in the long-term given resource limits and climate change. We conclude that while the results of reducing working hours are uncertain, this may be a risk worth taking, especially as an interim measure that may relieve unemployment while other necessary structural changes are instituted. OPEN ACCESS

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“…A degree should not be marketed as sustainable unless it addresses the economic return of the future graduate. The research proposed three criteria for assessing the economic sustainability of an institution; starting salaries (based on studies from Rajecki & Borden, 2011), employment (based on studies from Bell &Blanchflower, 2011 andAshford et al 2012) and over education (based on studies from Carroll &Tani, 2013 andLinsley, 2005). Maragakis et.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validating the Need to Include the Economic Returns of Graduates as a Metric of a Higher Education Institutions Level of Sustainability

Maragakis¹,

Dobbelsteen²,

Maragakis³

2016

IJHE

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Higher education institutions play an important role in sustainability, in their own management and operation, in research and education, and in the undergraduate and graduate degrees they deliver. Often ignored, economic sustainability and future perspectives of students are important indicators too. The research presented in this paper validates that a student's post-graduation economic performance should be part of a higher education institution's metric for sustainability. The data collected in this research, as well as in other research, shows that almost 90% of respondents agree that economic metrics should be considered part of a higher education institutions level of sustainability. While there is no doubt about the economic gains of higher education, the results indicate that students utilizing a manageable 8% repayment of economic debt would be in debt for decades after graduation, further supporting the need for institutions to inform their stakeholders before such a life changing commitment.

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The crisis in employment and consumer demand: Reconciliation with environmental sustainability

Cited by 43 publications

References 27 publications

Quantitative Evaluation of Settlement Sustainability Policy (QESSP); Forward Planning for 26 Irish Settlements

Quantitative Evaluation of Settlement Sustainability Policy (QESSP); Forward Planning for 26 Irish Settlements

“Friday off”: Reducing Working Hours in Europe

Validating the Need to Include the Economic Returns of Graduates as a Metric of a Higher Education Institutions Level of Sustainability

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