Empowering consumers for the ecological transition in ASEAN and Europe

Project holders:

Team members:

• Manisha Anantharaman (Sciences Po, CSO)

• Sophie Dubuisson Quellier (Sciences Po, CSO)

• Daniel Nicholas Putra Pakpahan (NUS CIL)

• Marc Ringel (Sciences Po, LIEPP and European Chair sustainable development)

Project description:

This 24-months project examines the way in which rulemaking with respect to demand-side aspects of green transition is occurring at the regional level in Europe (EU) and in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) and the lessons that may be learned to promote better rulemaking in the future.

The role of demand-side adjustments to the green transition has come into focus for policymakers in Europe and Southeast Asia (ASEAN), especially with respect to consumer behaviour. In both regions, policymakers have begun looking at new regulations to support demand-side solutions by (a) providing consumers with accurate information regarding the climate impact of goods and services and (b) protecting consumers from misleading information regarding the same. While the policymaking process in Europe is already quite advanced, developments in ASEAN remain at a nascent state. As governments in ASEAN consider how to harness consumer spending to support climate change mitigation and the green economy transition, they need to consider how to address these issues through updating and/or enacting new rules on consumer protection and climate change, while paying attention to the developmental and institutional capacity limitations in individual countries. In this respect, the European experience may provide insights for policymakers in Southeast Asia.

Bringing together researchers from both regions and across different disciplines, the project sheds light into rulemaking processes in Europe that have resulted in policymakers both at the EU level and at the national level (e.g., France) to take concrete steps aimed at empowering consumers to make green choices and protecting them from greenwashing claims. Drawing on comparative policy research, it will provide an assessment of the design and implementation dynamics associated with the development of policies in these jurisdictions to promote changes in consumer demand-side behaviour in support of climate change mitigation.

This project has been selected in the IDEX-Université de Paris-NUS call for proposals 2023 for joint research projects. In addition, the LIEPP team benefits from the support of Equité partagée Fonds de dotation Max Havelaar France.