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Navigating sustainable futures : The role of terminal and instrumental values

Osberg, Gustav LU orcid ; Schulz, Felix and Bretter, Christian (2024) In Ecological Economics 225.
Abstract

Values have been discussed both in relation to the normative character of Ecological Economics and, albeit implicitly, in conceptions of human beings. Nevertheless, a conceptualisation of individually-held values remains underdeveloped. Scholars who do engage on a conceptual level tend to focus on the values of nature in the context of ecosystem services, with less emphasis on: (a) more generally-held values, (b) the psychological mechanisms for value formation and (c) how this understanding can be leveraged to achieve a sustainable future. In this paper, we revisit Milton Rokeach's concept of instrumental and terminal values, and draw upon it to stress the importance of both desirable end states and the means to achieve the goals... (More)

Values have been discussed both in relation to the normative character of Ecological Economics and, albeit implicitly, in conceptions of human beings. Nevertheless, a conceptualisation of individually-held values remains underdeveloped. Scholars who do engage on a conceptual level tend to focus on the values of nature in the context of ecosystem services, with less emphasis on: (a) more generally-held values, (b) the psychological mechanisms for value formation and (c) how this understanding can be leveraged to achieve a sustainable future. In this paper, we revisit Milton Rokeach's concept of instrumental and terminal values, and draw upon it to stress the importance of both desirable end states and the means to achieve the goals endorsed by Ecological Economics. Considering these concepts with respect to the emerging literature on inner transformations for sustainability, we adopt a deliberative inside-out perspective on value change. Our conceptualisation of human values and value change provides scholars with new tools to understand and study different dimensions that help to engage with the transformation towards sustainability from a human level, behavioural perspective.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Inner-outer transformation, Instrumental values, Sustainability transformation, Terminal values, Value change, Values
in
Ecological Economics
volume
225
article number
108325
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85200144533
ISSN
0921-8009
DOI
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108325
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
70fa52df-f5c9-4050-b158-253a63431ec1
date added to LUP
2024-09-03 13:12:47
date last changed
2024-09-03 13:13:23
@article{70fa52df-f5c9-4050-b158-253a63431ec1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Values have been discussed both in relation to the normative character of Ecological Economics and, albeit implicitly, in conceptions of human beings. Nevertheless, a conceptualisation of individually-held values remains underdeveloped. Scholars who do engage on a conceptual level tend to focus on the values of nature in the context of ecosystem services, with less emphasis on: (a) more generally-held values, (b) the psychological mechanisms for value formation and (c) how this understanding can be leveraged to achieve a sustainable future. In this paper, we revisit Milton Rokeach's concept of instrumental and terminal values, and draw upon it to stress the importance of both desirable end states and the means to achieve the goals endorsed by Ecological Economics. Considering these concepts with respect to the emerging literature on inner transformations for sustainability, we adopt a deliberative inside-out perspective on value change. Our conceptualisation of human values and value change provides scholars with new tools to understand and study different dimensions that help to engage with the transformation towards sustainability from a human level, behavioural perspective.</p>}},
  author       = {{Osberg, Gustav and Schulz, Felix and Bretter, Christian}},
  issn         = {{0921-8009}},
  keywords     = {{Inner-outer transformation; Instrumental values; Sustainability transformation; Terminal values; Value change; Values}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Ecological Economics}},
  title        = {{Navigating sustainable futures : The role of terminal and instrumental values}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108325}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108325}},
  volume       = {{225}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}