The roles of community-based organizations in socializing sustainable behavior: Examining the urban case of Budapest, Hungary

Abstract

This research supports the argument that community-based organizations (CBOs) can be effective vehicles to shift societal norms and expectations in order to facilitate co-creation and acceptability of new and sustainable ways of living. CBOs are conceptualized as meso-level entities where sustainable behavior can be socialized through not-for-profit and socioecological-oriented approaches, a unique position in a market society. To learn what roles CBOs fulfill when providing space for peer interactions influencing sustainable behavior, a qualitative research study was carried out based on 21 interviews with key stakeholders from CBOs working in different sustainability-related fields (mobility, food, energy, etc.) in the urban context of Budapest, Hungary. The grouping and interpretation of interview data show that the sampled urban CBOs can impact sustainable behavior through (1) raising members' awareness; (2) influencing everyday practices; and (3) providing space for non-consumerist peer interactions. These impacts can be exercised through the three roles of translation, reinforcement, and contribution. Translation covers the practical-cognitive (why it is important and how to do it) dimensions of peer interactions, while reinforcement and contribution are psychological-emotional factors, the former being directed toward adopting individual practices (through positive reinforcement), the latter pointing to the collective, the common good to which one feels one is contributing. These results imply that sustainability-oriented policymaking could support the sustainability transition by co-designing systems of provisions together with the affected communities.