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MUNICIPAL PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR GOVERNANCE SYSTEM APPROACH: ACTION-ORIENTED COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK
Abstract
The general theme of the paper is the study of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) content, instruments and stakeholders in order to design PEB enhancement preconditions at the local municipal actor?s level. The research-and-development (R&D) framework approach was used applying case study research methodology, including document studies, PEB household survey, observation and main stakeholder?s interviews, seminars, what was organized in two local medium size urban/rural municipalities in Latvia - rural Salacgriva municipality and urban Valmiera city municipality, both already having/approaching municipal Environmental Declarations. The study concluded that even there are to be seen a wide diversity and number of PEB actions, both thematic content practice type and instrumental type, and, at all the municipal segments of stakeholders, being designed locally or taken from outside national/international practice, there is not only more PEB options and resources for all segments interaction directly or, importantly, via targeted involvement of the public environment, but also available instrumental background for mutual benefits of both, top-down and bottom-up, interaction approaches. For the time being existent PEB potential is partly used and there shall be taken care of limited PEB planning and management capacities as well as missing PEB system framework and methodological guidelines from national level. In this relation action-oriented collaboration communication frame, combining all four its complementary instruments, have been positively recognized and strongly recommended for further active local PEB enhancement ? starting by PEB information as further complemented by PEB education/training and also PEB enhancing public participatory type activities, are directly facilitating PEB action design and development, even already developed PEB practice cases also do require comprehensive use of those communication instruments for the next PEB development stages. Approaching the building of municipal PEB governance system, there is to be taken into account three basic governance dimensions ? stakeholder segments, governance content and instruments for PEB, what?s to be complemented by action-oriented environmental communication frame, altogether recognized as PEB enhancement preconditions.
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