Abstract
National policy for Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) is a powerful instrument to influence sustainable consumption (SC) behaviour at individual and organisational levels. Despite diverse policy dialogues and initiatives on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), there is a lack of knowledge on how to influence behaviours towards SC. This chapter will address how to improve the capacity of governments in implementing effective ESC. The research was conducted through primary interviews with relevant government officers, survey/questionnaires, and analysis of policy documents in P.R. China, Japan and Republic of Korea. The findings identify key aspects of current governmental context for promoting SC. The three country cases are analysed in a comparative capacity assessment based on the four levers of change identified in UNDP’s capacity development framework: (1) institutional arrangements, (2) leadership, (3) knowledge, and (4) accountability. The recommendations aim to strengthen policy and institutional frameworks for ESC and to link with wider policies for SCP and education for sustainable development (ESD). The primary recommendations address: (1) expanding roles and responsibilities for ESC beyond national governments, (2) applying multiple policy mechanisms and inter-ministerial/agency approaches, (3) defining policy priorities and target areas for SC, (4) improving accountability as a means to strengthen the overall system, and (5) addressing ESC as a thematic approach to ESD and SCP.
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Notes
- 1.
Chinese country case study was conducted by Dr. Qing Tian of the Environmental Education Centre at Beijing Normal Education.
- 2.
Japanese country case study was conducted by Dr. Masahisa Sato and Prof. Hideki Nakahara of the Faculty of Environmental and Information Studies at Tokyo City University.
- 3.
Korean country case study was conducted by Dr. So-Young Lee and Dr. Jung Hwa Kang of the Consumers Union of Korea.
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Acknowledgments
This research owes an incredible debt to the substantial contributions made by Dr. Qing Tian of the Environmental Education Centre at Beijing Normal Education, Dr. Masahisa Sato and Prof. Hideki Nakahara of the Faculty of Environmental & Information Studies at Tokyo City University, and by Dr. So-Young Lee and Dr. Jung Hwa Kang of the Consumers Union of Korea. These researchers provided the respective country case studies for China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The full findings of this research are presented in the publication: IGES. 2011. The Role of Governments in Education for Sustainable Consumption: Strengthening capacity for effective implementation in China, Japan and Republic of Korea. R. J. Didham, ed. Hayama, Japan: IGES.
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Didham, R.J. (2013). Capacity for the Implementation of Education for Sustainable Consumption in Northeast Asia. In: Schrader, U., Fricke, V., Doyle, D., Thoresen, V. (eds) Enabling Responsible Living. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22048-7_8
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