Who are the New Middle Classes and why are they Given so Much Public Attention?

Lange, Hellmuth; Meier, Lars

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-9938-0_1

Cited by 10 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Western anxieties are likely deepened by the fact that while globally the middle class is growing, in the West it is shrinking (Večerník, 2010). At the same time many commentators in the West view the fact that millions of people in the South have been lifted from poverty and been able to adopt western consumerist lifestyles to be a consumption-driven threat to the environment and a major source of increased pollution (Lange and Meier, 2009  Drain on resources  Increased pollution due to increased consumption Solution to problem created in the past:  Environmental reform  Solution to problems in the production side of economy…”

Section: Class Lifestyle and Sustainability: Central And Eastern Eurmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quietly does it: Questioning assumptions about class, sustainability and consumption

2015

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This paper questions assumptions about the relationship between class formation, sustainability and patterns of consumption. The empirical elements of the research are based upon qualitative and quantitative time-series research into food self-provisioning and 'quiet sustainability' in post socialist Central and Eastern Europe (Poland and the Czech Republic). It considers sustainable practices that are often considered to be taking place 'in the wrong place and the wrong time', i.e. they appear anomalous in terms of western expectations of patterns of development. We offer evidence of comparatively very high levels of food self-provisioning and sharing of the resulting produce amongst middle class Poles and Czechs. This evidence questions widely held assumptions about class, development and consumption. This evidence may be of significance for consideration of a much wider set of household practices/behaviours that are associated with the middle classes. Our explorations of the reasons for food self-provisioning throw new light on discussions of ethical consumption: ethics is lightly worn, even unacknowledged, amongst practitioners, but the commitments are widespread and robust. Our empirical findings, and the theoretical arguments we seek to test on the basis of them, are of particular significance in the context of rapid processes of rural and urban change in emerging economies. Quietly Does AbstractThis paper questions assumptions about the relationship between class formation, sustainability and patterns of consumption. The empirical elements of the research are based upon qualitative and quantitative time-series research into food self-provisioning and 'quiet sustainability' in post socialist Central and Eastern Europe (Poland and the Czech Republic). It considers sustainable practices that are often considered to be taking place 'in the wrong place and the wrong time', i.e. they appear anomalous in terms of western expectations of patterns of development. We offer evidence of comparatively very high levels of food self-provisioning and sharing of the resulting produce amongst middle class Poles and Czechs. This evidence questions widely held assumptions about class, development and consumption. This evidence may be of significance for consideration of a much wider set of household practices/behaviours that are associated with the middle classes. Our explorations of the reasons for food self-provisioning throw new light on discussions of ethical consumption: ethics is lightly worn, even unacknowledged, amongst practitioners, but the commitments are widespread and robust. Our empirical findings, and the theoretical arguments we seek to test on the basis of them, are of particular significance in the context of rapid processes of rural and urban change in emerging economies.

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Section: Class Lifestyle and Sustainability: Central And Eastern Eurmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quietly does it: Questioning assumptions about class, sustainability and consumption

2015

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“…Consumption levels in emerging economies are still generally lower than in developed countries. However, the growing consumption in emerging economies has a far‐reaching effect given the large populations (Lange and Meier, ; Reusswig and Isensee, ). India and China have the largest populations in Asia, but Vietnam is significant in size too with almost 95 million people.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…() state that the success of introducing sustainable lifestyles (the way of living that reflects a household's values and attitudes towards sustainability) depends on the adaptation and acceptance of the targeted consumers. Hence, to develop effective initiatives, it is crucial to understand the consumers, their lifestyles and their consumption patterns (Gilg et al ., ; Lange and Meier, ). A survey, five focus groups and a set of five interviews were conducted to first explore current (sustainable) consumption in Vietnam; and second, to identify possible opportunities for the future of sustainable consumption and change towards sustainable lifestyles in Vietnam.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable consumption in Vietnam: an explorative study among the urban middle class

Koning

Crul

Wever

et al. 2015

Int J Consumer Studies

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The middle class of Vietnam is growing and so is their consumption, especially in urban areas. This is due to the effects of rapid economic growth, industrialization and increasing wealth in combination with a young, growing population. This paper aims to understand current consumption patterns and consumption categories that can provide a start for sustainable lifestyles among the Vietnamese middle class. Data was collected in the capital Hanoi, in the north of Vietnam. The current level of awareness, knowledge and attitude was explored on five specific consumption topics: energy, transport, water, waste, and food. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data was collected: 5 focus groups, 5 in‐depth interviews and a survey among 158 Vietnamese urban middle class consumers. The results are discussed according to the MOA model that explains behaviour as a function of three components: Motivation, Opportunity and Ability. The research concludes that awareness and knowledge of the urban middle class in Vietnam on sustainable consumption is generally low. However, the motivation to live healthy lifestyles and protect the planet for their future generations is rather high. In order to support more sustainable lifestyles, the awareness of environmental issues needs to be increased; knowledge needs to be made available and accessible (ability); and role models need to set an example for the urban middle class of Vietnam. Furthermore, health in combination with food is the most important reason for people to pursue a sustainable lifestyle (motivation) and the need to change was expressed. However, a general distrust towards business and governmental actors was also found. Therefore, opportunities for bottom‐up initiatives for sustainable food consumption must be explored in the future. This could support in engaging the middle class of Vietnam in sustainable lifestyles.

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“…The paper thus seeks to problematise the discursive binary of 'traditional' and 'new' middle classes (Fernandes 2006;Kharas and Gertz 2010) and the assumptions made about how they do or do not conform to the ethical expectations of both mainstream and critical analysts (Lange and Meier 2009). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Lange and Meier 2009: 4) There is more than an echo of both bourgeois derision or patrician disdain towards 'new' middle class materialism and colonial discourses about the 'unenlightened Other' informing these perspectives. In response, recent research into ethical consumption in the global South has sought to develop more contextualised approaches (Dombos 2008;Lange and Meier 2009;Gupta and Hodges 2012;Hong and Song 2010;Bryant and Goodman 2013). However, much of this tends to assume that business and consumer ethics travel from the global North before engaging with localized forms of consumption, and takes as its starting point a limited notion of ethicality as environmental and social responsibility, 9 neglecting "consumption as an everyday ethical practice" (Hall 2011: 627).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Theorising middle class consumption from the global South: A study of everyday ethics in South Africa’s Western Cape

2015

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Who are the New Middle Classes and why are they Given so Much Public Attention?

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

Quietly does it: Questioning assumptions about class, sustainability and consumption

Quietly does it: Questioning assumptions about class, sustainability and consumption

Sustainable consumption in Vietnam: an explorative study among the urban middle class

Theorising middle class consumption from the global South: A study of everyday ethics in South Africa’s Western Cape

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