The term “sustainable consumption” is subject to many interpretations, from Agenda 21's hopeful assertion that governments should encourage less materialistic lifestyles based on new definitions of “wealth” and “prosperity”, to the view prevalent in international policy discourse...

The author critically evaluates the impact and potential of a community currency -- or local money system -- known as the 'local exchange trading scheme' (LETS), to contribute to sustainable local development (SLD). Two distinct and contrasting models for sustainable development are described: a...

Community energy has been proposed as a new policy tool to help achieve the transition to a low-carbon energy system, but the evidence base for this strategy is partial and fragmented. We therefore present new empirical evidence from the first independent UK-wide survey of community energy...

This article argues that in the current context of rising unemployment and growing exclusion from the traditional locus of social cohesion and income distribution, a new approach to social policy and employment is required. The scope of informal employment strategies to tackle social exclusion...

The multilevel perspective and social practice theory have emerged as competing approaches for understanding the complexity of sociotechnical change. The relationship between these two different camps has, on occasions, been antagonistic, but we argue that they are not mutually exclusive....

Environmental decisions made by individuals, civil society, and the state involve questions of economic efficiency, environmental effectiveness, equity, and political legitimacy. These four criteria are constitutive of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable...

Gill Seyfang and Ruth Pearson look at the diverse range of alternative currencies in a discussion of how local community currency can promote local regeneration, build social capital and foster sustainable development. Development (2000) 43, 56–60. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1110197

Community currencies have been put forward as a grassroots tool to promote social inclusion through community self-help and active citizenship. 'Time banks' are a new form of community currency in the UK which are receiving government support. Time credits are earned for each hour of voluntary...