Uncertainty and Narratives of the Future. A Theoretical Framework for Contemporary Fertility

Explanations for fertility decisions based on structural constraints—such as labor, housing condition, or income—do not account for the contemporary fertility downturn faced by many countries in Europe. In this paper, we posit that the rise of uncertainty is central for understanding contemporary fertility dynamics. We propose a theoretical framework (the Narrative Framework) for the study of fertility decisions under uncertain conditions based on expectations, imaginaries and narratives. Relying on the idea of future–oriented action, we argue that uncertainty needs to be conceptualized and operationalized taking into account that people use works of imagination, producing their own narrative of the future. Narratives of the future are potent driving forces helping people to act according to or despite uncertainty. We present the different elements of the Narrative Framework and address its causal validity. We conclude by highlighting the advantages of taking into account the narratives of the future in fertility research

The secret success of the reduction in the Norwegian electricity consumption

Largely unnoticed by the media and the public, the electricity consumption of Norwegian households has stopped growing and even decreased since 1990. The project, financed by the Norwegian Research Council, aims at defining what factors that might explain this rather unanticipated development. This paper is, however, restricted to accounting for the validation of the existing data and a preliminary list of possible explanations. Such a validation has to take into account if the breaking of the curve really hides a shift of medium; that a decrease in electricity consumption is explained by a corresponding increase elsewhere, or if it follows simply from a reduced average household size, and thus counteracted by an increase in the number of households. The paper concludes that the witnessed reduction in electricity consumption is real

Innovative approaches in European sustainable consumption policies: assessing the potential of various instruments for sustainable consumption practises and greening of the market (ASCEE)

The report summarises the outcomes of the project "Assessing the potential of various instruments for sustainable consumption practices and greening of the market" (ASCEE). The scope of the ASCEE project was to consider the latest trends in policies supporting sustainable consumption and production (SCP), and to indicate key elements of policies supporting sustainable consumption. Our main research emphasis dealt with innovative instruments, approaches and practices to support sustainable consumption. The aim of ASCEE was to contribute to policy development - to indicate promising innovative approaches and tools to foster sustainable consumption and - to present some strategic recommendations on how to progress in this arena. The structure of the report is as follows: the report describes the challenge of sustainable consumption in Chapter 1 and presents a short overview on selected European activities. The following Chapter 2 "Innovative approaches" reports on the three themes we distinguished, and presents our findings for the examined cases, supplemented by some additional empirical findings on innovative instruments worth reporting, but not in the same level of detail as the nine cases. Our central findings are presented in chapter 3 "Empirical Insights" which highlights our findings and key messages. Chapter 4 "Assessment of instruments" is dedicated to the topic of assessment of political instruments which forms an integral part of making sustainable consumption policy. It is followed by Chapter 5 "Policy Recommendations" which introduces our key recommendations addressed to policy-makers, public authorities and stakeholders. Finally, chapter 6 "Outlook" completes the report and hints at areas linked to sustainable consumption, but not dealt with in this report, and to important R&D topics

Defrosting the freezer: From novelty to convenience - A narrative of normalization

This article examines the 'normalization' of the British freezer. It defines three phases in this process: an initial period oriented around the utility of preserving home produce; a second stage marked by the development of a frozen food infrastructure and the establishment of the freezer as a part of the efficient domestic economy; and a third subtle but significant redefinition of the primary benefits of freezing in terms of convenience. Cast in their new role as 'time machines', freezers are sold as a means of managing contemporary pressures associated with the scheduling and co-ordination of domestic life. At one level, this is a story of the gradual acceptance of a relatively standardized object. Yet this narrative suggests that the freezer's promised benefits and functions change along the way. Developing this point, we argue that the normalization of the chameleon-like freezer can only be understood in the context of similarly changing systems of food provisioning, patterns of domestic practice and allied technological devices

Uncertainty and Narratives of the Future: A Theoretical Framework for Contemporary Fertility

Explanations for fertility decisions based on structural constraints—such as labor, housing condition, or income—do not account for the contemporary fertility downturn faced by many countries in Europe. In this paper, we posit that the rise of uncertainty is central for understanding contemporary fertility dynamics. We propose a theoretical framework (the Narrative Framework) for the study of fertility decisions under uncertain conditions based on expectations, imaginaries and narratives. Relying on the idea of future–oriented action, we argue that uncertainty needs to be conceptualized and operationalized taking into account that people use works of imagination, producing their own narrative of the future. Narratives of the future are potent driving forces helping people to act according to or despite uncertainty. We present the different elements of the Narrative Framework and address its causal validity. We conclude by highlighting the advantages of taking into account the narratives of the future in fertility research