engleski

An Institutional Approach to Sustainability: a Historical Interplay of Worldviews, Institutions and Technology

The pathway to sustainability lies prevalently in the change of those cultural traits that generate collective behavior and choices which are environmentally undesirable, and only to a lesser extent in technological change and scientific progress. Collective behavior is shaped by institutions, which are to a large extent contingent on the values and beliefs that are shared in a society – its prevailing worldview. From the perspective of the hierarchy theory, a worldview represents the highest level constraint in the societal system, which acts as a selective force on institutional and technological possibilities. Starting from a simple model and historical analysis, this work argues that it is hardly possible to introduce appropriate institutional change - the one which may alter significantly the impact of our societies on natural environment - unless we change our overall perspective and attitude towards nature, work, and well-being.

coevolution, institutions, hierarchy theory, sustainability, worldview

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