Social Reaction to Economic Changes: Social Reaction to Circular Economy as part of European Green Deal

Abstract

Since, currently the European Union is proposing a plan, which aims at transforming the European economy, the social reaction will be examined on the European Green Deal, particularly the circular economy, within the European Union. Circular economy is not only about creating the green energy cheaper and hence more affordable and mainstream but about a different social perspective in consumption. The proposal is going to affect European citizens, of whom some are active in businesses which will be directly affected, and of whom all will be affected as they all represent consumers. Firstly, businesses will have to adapt, and consequently, change their approach to resources and restructure their manufacturing processes. Secondly, the consumers must accept the transition as well for the deal to succeed, which will affect the way they consume the products and will change the products themselves. Bourdieu provides the framework for the analysis with his concepts, namely, habitus, fields, capitals, doxa. He analyses the individuals with concepts of habitus (a set of dispositions), capitals (credit that individuals want to gain), fields (with each field having its own logic and social structure) and doxa (self-evident practicality). Furthermore, the concepts of Schumpeter, Polanyi, Marcuse and Hirsch provide additional elements to explain possible social challenges to economic changes. These concepts are interested in social movements and try to explain what is behind them, to improve the understanding of change in a society as a whole. The analysis part attempts to incorporate multi-layered theories within Bourdieu`s framework to explain social reaction to circular economy. The success or failure of circular economy might rely on cultureinnovation, the innovation of consumers` approach to product consumption, in other words, a major shift from ownership to “product-as-a-service”. A certain degree of resistance is due to concern of disappearance or shrinking significance of one`s field in which individuals have grown to a satisfactory position.