3 pages, 11 pages, This paper examines the usefulness of the new social movements (NSMs) paradigm in the changing context of East European post-communist societies and their agricultural systems and rural communities. Starting with statements formulated in Western sociology in the context of Western democratic societies about NSMs as a protest against modernity, the paper analyses the role of such movements in the still modernizing Eastern European reality. The first part of the paper briefly examines some basic elements of the NSMs paradigm in European and American social science. The goal of this section is not only to identify the basic characteristics of NSMs, but also to identify the typical frames used by them. The second part of the paper focuses on the presence of NSMs in the communist era. Drawing on the idea of NSMs as indicators of a "post-materialist shift" as well as of "anti-establishment" and "pro-participatory democracy", the paper examines the frames of democratic opposition in Eastern Europe before 1989. The final part of the paper considers several selected examples from Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to explore the role of NSMs in the process of shaping new ruralities during the post-communist transformation.
7 pages., Via online journal, The emergence of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) has drawn the attention of researchers from various fields, who try to understand and explain these new phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to explore how personal attitude and product quality perception influence relative satisfaction over participation in AFNs, therefore contributing to the literature on socially conscious consumerism. Structural Equation Modeling is used to investigate the determinants of consumers' attitudes towards AFNs, its influence on perceived quality of food products, and their relative influence over satisfaction with participation in AFNs. A survey was conducted among 210 AFN participants. The results from this study suggest that consumers' attitude towards AFNs directly influences the perceived quality of food products; moreover, the analysis confirms the relationship between these two elements and overall satisfaction with participation in AFNs. Finally, the research provides suggestions on how to improve consumers’ involvement and mainstream AFNs.
Marques, Andreia (author), Kamali, Farahnaz Pashaei (author), Asveld, Lotte (author), Osseweijer, Patricia (author), Silveira, Jose Maria F. J. de (author), and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Unicamp Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2019-11-05
Published:
Netherlands: Elsevier
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 124 Document Number: D11216
16 pages, via online journal, Sugarcane expansion in Brazil during the 2000s was partly restricted by several discussions about the sustainability aspects of its cultivation. These discussions were mainly based on surveys that sometimes use highly aggregated data not including local perspectives and particularities, and sometimes used case studies with small samples which, while listening to local perspectives, cannot be considered representative of the whole sector. This work aims at filling this gap by considering both the perceptions of the local community, which add primary data on impact, and a large sample, to increase the research representativeness. To do so, we present the results of 353 interviews, covering 33 municipalities in five states of the Center-South region of Brazil (the largest cultivation area in the country). The results show that the expansion of biofuels has generated conflict mostly related to environmental and social issues, although there is good acceptance of the sugarcane mills in general. Our conclusions point to the importance of including local voices for a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations of the expansion of biofuels.
