Social diffusion of energy-related practices and representations: Patterns and policies in Portugal and Belgium

The social-class dimension of energy consumption has been rather neglected relative to other theoretical approaches to energy use, despite its potential deployment in energy policies. This paper aims at investigating energy policy-related inequalities across social classes with respect to three dimensions highlighted by environmental-justice theories: income distribution, procedures producing unequal distributional outcomes, and cultural and political recognition of vulnerable and marginalised social groups. These inequalities can be exacerbated or reduced by social diffusion processes, both vertical and horizontal. These processes include policy instruments intending to lower energy consumption in the residential sector. To empirically ground the analysis, two countries with contrasting patterns of income inequalities, Portugal and Belgium, are compared on the basis of qualitative data collected in 2009–2011. We discuss the relevance of integrating the social diffusion dimension in energy policies and propose several policy instruments to do so. One of our main contribution is to argue that both vertical and horizontal diffusion across social classes, if adequately translated into policy instruments, can boost the uptake of residential energy retrofits and other energy saving practices.The authors thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia,Portugal,for the support under the Grant MIT-Pt/SES-SUES/0037/2008.The interviews in Wallonia were realised during an international project funded in 2008-2011 by Intelligent Energy Europe (IDEAL-EPBD:Improving Dwellings by Enhancing Actions on Labelling for the Energy Per- formance in Buildings Directive; Grant IEE/07/600/SI2.499426), whereas the present analysis in terms of social diffusion was realised after the completion of that project

Socio-Technical and Cultural Approaches to Energy Consumption: An Introduction

Energy consumption inconspicuously bridges nature and culture. Modern societies and cultures depend on intensive energy use from the extraction of natural resources. In fact, the industrialization process required large amounts of energy, but main sources such as oil and coal, have been gradually depleted and found to be heavily polluting the environment. Despite their environmental impacts, these resources have provided cheap and abundant power to fuel technological progress and economic growth

Between school, family and media: Do the children carry energysaving messages and practices?

Today, children are the focus of communication and sensitisation measures to increase their environmental concern and their energy saving behaviours. This paper aims at exploring whether, with whom and how children may be actors relative to these environment and energy issues. In particular, this paper identifies the sources of information and influence of the children and shows whether the children influence other actors, especially their family, to save energy in their daily life. This paper is based on a qualitative research that has been realised in French-speaking Belgium in 2007-2008; data were gathered in 13 families whose elder child is 10 or 11 years old. In-depth interviews were realised with at least this child (and sometimes with younger brother(s) and/or sister(s) too) and one parent. Topics covered included energy-related practices and knowledge of the children as well as the network of actors surrounding them. Results indicate that the child is neither powerful nor passive, nor a trustful carrier of energy-related ‘good’ practices. The necessary conditions for the child being such a good carrier are shed into light and depend on the relations within and between the different organisations the child belongs to (family, school, pairs) or has access to (media, Internet)

Unequal capability deployment and unequal access to affordable warmth: A mixed-method research (Keynote)

The fruitfulness of the Capability Approach is illustrated by a mixed-method research. The capability "Play" is taken as an example and studied with quantitative data for Austria, Belgium, and Bulgaria, and with qualitative data for Belgium

Denatalite et marche matrimonial. Le cas de l'Italie en 1930-1950

The decline in the birth rate recorded in Italy between 1916 and 1919 began to affect marriage market as early as the midthirties. This imbalance was resolved through major changes in the relative ages of the spouses, which continue to be apparent in a couple analysis based on individual data drawn from the Census of 1981. The role of mortality and of widowhood - which lead to a selection as of couples surviving to 1981 - in assessed. Their impact turns out to be minimal. The article concludes with a discussion of the influence of circumstances that prevailed at the time these marriages took place (before, during and after the Second World War)

Inequalities in a Consumerist Society: An Attempt to Intersect Exclusion from Consumption Practices and Negative Emotions

For social practice theories, a shared claim is that practices are structuring social life. Taking this affirmation seriously, this contribution aims at studying how practices seen as ‘normal’ in a Western country (Belgium), such as inviting at home family or friends for a drink, or enjoying a one-week holiday elsewhere, intersect with negative emotions (such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, sadness, sense of emptiness)when they are not performed because of a lack of financial means. Another goal of this study is to examine whether these associations between non-performed practices and emotions are the same according to social class