On Wednesday 14th December, ResPublica launched Different Politics, Same Planet: Values for sustainable development beyond left and right, a new report on environmental and humanitarian values supported by Oxfam and WWF-UK.
Proportional policy responses to
today’s profound environmental and humanitarian problems will require a new
level of political commitment. Doubtless, in part, this will entail the need
for bolder political leadership on these issues. But it will also, inevitably,
require greater electoral acceptance of – indeed, active demand for – more
ambitious policy interventions.
Such public expressions of
concern will be motivated by particular cultural values, which will need to
come to be expressed more strongly. Drawing extensively on social psychology
research, this report identifies ‘intrinsic’ values – including those of
affiliation, self-acceptance, community feeling and universalism – as being of
crucial importance in underpinning public expressions of concern about
environmental and humanitarian issues.
The report examines some of the
key factors that determine which values come to be of particular importance
culturally, and the implications for those political leaders who see that they
have a responsibility to help strengthen intrinsic values. Happily, the report
identifies strong traditions of political thought on both the left and right
that prioritise intrinsic values. In closing, it foresees the possibility of
establishing a new centre of gravity in political debate: one that works
systematically to strengthen intrinsic values.
Cultural values and civic responsibilities are central themes which will be explored in ResPublica's future work under our 'British Civic Life' workstream. See http://www.respublica.org.uk/research