Objective To develop a theory of globalism and localism as mutually essential patterns of societal adaptation to sustainable development, emphasising local requirements for community cohesion, social justice, economic opportunity and cultural identity in the European Union; to examine the legal contradictions and reconciliations between economic and social competitiveness and authentic (i.e. community revealed) localism in an expanding European Union; to develop new methodologies of communal visioning as to who loses and who gains in the transition to sustainability, and how democratic practices of giving and taking can be attuned to be acceptable and effective.OBJECTIVES: To develop a theory of globalism and localism as mutually essential patterns of societal adaptation to sustainable development, emphasising local requirements for community cohesion, social justice, economic opportunity and cultural identity in the European Union; to examine the legal contradictions and reconciliations between economic and social competitiveness and authentic (i.e. community revealed) localism in an expanding European Union; to develop new methodologies of communal visioning as to who loses and who gains in the transition to sustainability, and how democratic practices of giving and taking can be attuned to be acceptable and effective. DESCRIPTION: The research develops a theory of the relations between localism and globalisms and a legal analysis of its implications in the EU context. It tests out these two analytical positions in ten case studies carried out in five EU Member States (Austria, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom) that is, different economies and societies facing up to a more sustainable age. The main research tasks and methods are: i) interviewing, via structural open-ended questionnaires of key people in government, business, social activism, do-it-yourself community politics, and the media concerning the contradictions and compatibilities of globalism and localism as these trends are initially perceived; ii) visioning exercises, using images, projections, games and interactive decision models, of how key players in the case studies conceptualise the likely patterns of sustainability transitional pathways, first from the viewpoint of their own ideologies, secondly as a result of game playing and round table discussions; iii) testing out mediation techniques, in game form, to see how effective and acceptable particular packages of adjustment might be to key stakeholders. Fields of science social sciencespolitical sciencesgovernment systemsdemocracysocial sciencessociologyideologiessocial scienceslawhuman rights Programme(s) FP4-ENV 2C - Specific programme of research and technological development in the field of environment and climate, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 04 - Human dimensions of environmental change Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA EU contribution No data Address University Plain NR4 7TJ NORWICH United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all CENTRO DE ESTUDOS EM ECONOMIA DA ENERGIA, DOS TRANSPORTES E DO AMBIENTE Portugal EU contribution No data Address 28 1,Rua Gustavo Matos Sequeira 28 1 1200 LISBOA See on map Total cost No data Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address 48 Princes Gardens SW7 2PE London See on map Total cost No data Linköping University Sweden EU contribution No data Address 581 83 Linköping See on map Total cost No data Technische Universität Graz Austria EU contribution No data Address 25,Inffeldgasse 8010 Graz See on map Total cost No data United Nations United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address 3 Whitehall Court SW1A 2EL London See on map Total cost No data University of Crete Greece EU contribution No data Address 17,Perivolia 74100 Rethimno See on map Total cost No data