The business of the Anthropocene? Substantivist and diverse economies perspectives on SME engagement in local low carbon transitions

North, Peter ORCID: 0000-0001-5147-7296 (2016) The business of the Anthropocene? Substantivist and diverse economies perspectives on SME engagement in local low carbon transitions. Progress in Human Geography, 40 (4). pp. 437-454.

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Abstract

The involvement of private sector actors in low carbon urban transitions is a neglected element of geographical analysis. Drawing on Polanyian, cultural economic geographies and the non-capitalocentric ethics of JK Gibson-Graham’s diverse economies perspective, the paper engages with the wider literature on the engagement of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in environmental action, corporate social responsibility and low carbon transitions to develop a substantivist account of the contribution of SMEs to local low carbon transitions. The paper argues that contra formalist economic analyses of economic rationality, SME owners should not be thought of as uncritical profit maximisers, but as actors in favour of positive low carbon futures. Thus the paper argues that Polanyian economic geographies and Diverse Economies perspectives, which rarely speak to each other, can be drawn together, and concludes with suggestions future research.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	diverse economies, local business representation, local economic development, low carbon transitions, Polanyian geographies
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	19 May 2015 08:37
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2022 01:33
DOI:	10.1177/0309132515585049
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2011425