Bob Frame

Theorizing engagement: the potential of a critical dialogic approach

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to discussions about engagement in social and environmental accounting, drawing on dialogic theory and philosophy. A dialogic approach, building on existing critical inquiries, is introduced to derive principles to inform “on the ground” engagements. Applying dialogic thinking to social and environmental accounting encourages the development of dialogic forms of accountability, more authentic engagements and is more likely to contribute to sustainable social and environmental change. Design/methodology/approach - Contains a synthesis of literature from within and beyond social and environmental accounting to shed light on the issues addressed by the special issue. Findings - Research engagements in social and environmental accounting need not be taken in a haphazard manner uninformed by theory. In particular, the “learning turn” in social sciences has generated a large body of theorizing (informed by concrete engagement activities) that can be used to shape, guide and support engagement. Practical implications - The principles developed can be used to inform future research design, with the aim of increasing the likelihood that such engagements will yield outcomes of “value” usually defined as emancipatory changes. Originality/value - This paper develops a new (to accounting) theoretical perspective.

‘Wicked’, ‘Messy’, and ‘Clumsy’: Long-Term Frameworks for Sustainability

Society requires new forms of science and technology to productively accommodate the intrinsic value-laden judgments needed to manage the high uncertainties and considerable long-term impacts of sustainable urban planning. Responses to these ‘wicked’ problems include the development of postnormal science in the early 1990s. In subsequent literature on postnormal sustainability technologies, multiactor approaches to decision making are beginning to emerge. I examine an example: the development in New Zealand of a 100-year vision: the Auckland Sustainability Framework. Developed over fifteen months through ‘messy’ consultation across stakeholders, it has provided a clumsy’ outcome, namely one which enabled multiple viewpoints to be expressed and responded to by others. The process adopted offers evidence in support of the development of sustainability frameworks over much longer timescales than the current norm in local authorities, and indications of how such processes may unfold.

Promoting Sustainability through Social Marketing: Examples from New Zealand

This paper investigates the social marketing of sustainability in New Zealand and examines the usefulness of advertising campaigns to enlist and empower people, as both consumers and citizens, towards environmental care. It draws on discussions about citizen-consumer subjectivities and the model of the political economic person, which link sustainability and consumption through asserting peoples capacities as reflecting citizens. Printed advertisements by local and national government agencies about air pollution, fuel dependency and energy consumption are analysed to see whether advertising campaigns can operate on multiple levels for a range of audiences desirable for broadening understanding of sustainable consumption and dealing with the complexity and experiential aspects of doing sustainability. The advertisements analysed have an authoritative dimension that downplays this complexity and variability. The paper concludes that these advertisements do not go far enough to involve individuals in processes of co-producing knowledge about sustainability, and to vest them with expertise in exercising sustainability in their daily lives. The implications are that advertising campaigns that engage with the complexity surrounding consumption in peoples modern lives, and with variability in meanings of sustainability, have the possibility of inciting citizen-consumer political subjectivities.

Increasing uptake of low impact urban design and development: The role of sustainability assessment systems

Abstract ‘Market transformation’ of the significant urban development industry towards more sustainable practices is not moving at great pace. Design and assessment systems that may promote uptake of more sustainable urban design and development are reviewed briefly followed by a comparison between building and neighbourhood scales. For the latter there is a dearth of design and assessment tools for the residential built environment and of indicators to monitor progress towards sustainable development. Local authorities increasingly require an integrated approach to data collection and inclusion of infrastructure service providers in design, assessment and monitoring of urban development and associated environmental effects. By examining attempts to increase uptake of more sustainable residential development, the potential for tools and indicators at the neighbourhood scale to reduce environmental impact of the built environment is highlighted. It is recommended that built environment initiatives need to be combined with research into behavioural changes to achieve the desired outcome of a sustainable built environment and to increase the dialogue between communities, developers and local authorities.

Partnerships for sustainability: Effective practice?

Abstract This paper presents as case studies some New Zealand local government sustainable development initiatives in cleaner production and civic building design. From a series of structured interviews with key players, it describes key motivators and demotivators and puts these in the context of behaviour change theory. These enable a set of actions for local government to be developed that, if applied, could result in an advancement of the sustainable development agenda. However, other critical factors are given that are external to these actions and on which their overall success is dependent. In reviewing these factors as a group we conclude that far greater understanding of the partnership formation process and its dynamic in engendering successful sustainable development decision-making processes is crucial to move beyond the rhetoric of partnerships and enter the more complex and difficult world of truly participatory approaches.

Corporate social responsibility: A challenge for the donor community

As corporate social Responsibility (CSR) increases in large corporate organisations, a genuine approach to sustainable development is often best achieved through the supply chain. This is directly applicable to North–South supply-chain interactions (private-sector organisations, NGOs, and donors). CSR has adopted techniques from their ‘development’ usage, yet a reverse flow is not observed back to the ‘development’ sector. This is unfortunate. Private-sector organisations and NGOs (especially the larger ones) are well placed to take advantage of the increase in CSR relating to developing countries. More importantly, donors of all types would have increased influence if they took up CSR principles. Opportunity costs are not high and the advocacy potential is huge. This paper reviews CSR techniques and argues for donors to accept the challenge of incorporating them into their operations to influence more efficiently the process they seek to change.

The big clean up: social marketing for the Auckland region

The Big Clean Up (BCU) started in 2001 as Auckland Regional Councils (ARC) sustainability social marketing project and arose from catalysts for change that occurred within ARC in the late 1990s—leadership, training, partnerships and values. The BCU features strong marketing images and messages that have increased awareness and participation in the region according to extensive stakeholder surveys. It is intended to engage individuals and households in sustainable living—especially among the public middle ground—not those already committed to a green lifestyle. Membership of BCU after one year is about 44,000—almost one in ten households. Although ARC has considered the BCU successful, questions arise about the level of resilience of the campaigns without ongoing investment in expensive multimedia advertising and other initiatives. The paper concludes with a discussion on the impact of the underlying pedagogy in the light of social marketing and behaviour change theory.

Technologies for sustainability: a governmentality perspective

New technologies are needed to address sustainability issues through emerging forms of governance. These will be concerned with agency, performance and citizenship as much as with traditional biophysical concerns. The governance of water is a complex and critical issue where sustainability issues are coming to the fore and in which, we contend, technologies for sustainability are likely to emerge and develop. Accordingly, we examine and reflect on use of technologies as part of water governance in Scotland and New Zealand to consider if and how technologies are able to contest the current rationalities of government that do not appear to be delivering sustainable outcomes. Many assert that the rationality of advanced liberalism pervades governance of water despite claims of pursuing sustainability, and our findings support that assertion whereby current technologies are unlikely to facilitate sustainability.

Addressing Local Sustainability in Australia and New Zealand

‘Local sustainability’ is a charged phrase and concept whose meaning is being continuously debated. In defining sustainability as the embodiment of improving the quality of human life, now and into the future in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of ecosystems, it make sense that this concept adopt a ‘triple bottom line’ connotation such that environmental, economic and social issues are taken into account equally. Sustainability in this sense is inherently both a global and local issue. In addition to the consideration of global policies, agencies and mandates that can bring this concept to fruition, broad participation at the local level where every person lives and carries out his or her daily life is just as necessary for ecological development and overall societal improvements to be successfully implemented. While we have had some successes in both arenas, we are still struggling as a global society to demonstrate what exactly this concept means and how it can help us improve the triple bottom line of our very being. Theoretically, sustainability efforts will thrive most with a complementary partnership of top-down and bottom-up support in the global context. However, these thoughts are not to be ignored on the local level. While countries, international agencies and sustainability advocates are still working to put together a configuration of what the world would look like if it were modelled on the principles of sustainability, it makes sense to recognize the influence and impacts a narrower audience may have. As such, we often hear the catchphrase ‘think globally, act locally’ and it is this concept that suggests we may be able to speed up global dialogue with ideas that come from scaling up our local successes. After all, sustainability has had the greatest impact, uptake and implementation at the local level, where it is debated and tested intensely in real contexts. These debates are commonly around themes of developing strategies and agendas for institutionalizing sustainable development so that it transcends the local context. Politicians, councillors and committee members state that this is a difficult task, for such initiatives directly reflect local circumstances and very often involve cultural and structural change in order to build sustainable communities and projects within them. Local governments and councils can play

How can small donors contribute to sustainable development in large regions? The case of NZAID in Latin America

Donors face many issues when trying to support development goals in large regions such as Latin America. In their attempts to channel assistance to appropriate end‐users, they also have to provide coherence with national strategy, balance supply and demand of technical resources, and ensure accountability to their taxpayers. Resolution of these issues requires considerable focus and a clear understanding of all relevant factors. This is particularly so for, but not exclusive to, small donors. This paper provides agencies with a model to assess regional involvement and create a decision‐making framework for future investments. It places the quality of aid above the quantity of donation.