He fixes and she throws away? Grant for FLAE researcher
The role of consumers in the creation of the phenomenon of deliberate obsolescence will be examined by dr Alicja Sielska, assistant professor at the Department of General Economic Theory of the Institute of Economic Sciences of the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics at the University of Wrocław.
In the July NCN Miniatura grant, our researcher received a grant for the project ‘Celowe postarzanie produktu w oparciu o kreację potrzeb ludzkich z uwzględnieniem różnic płciowych – analiza zjawiska na przykładzie wybranych miast Polski’.
Imagine the situation then. Just after the guarantee period, our washing machine breaks down, or our mobile phone becomes increasingly slower. Goods, like people, have a finite lifespan, only this is sometimes intentionally shortened by manufacturers. Perishable goods mean higher consumer spending and pollution of the environment, mainly with e-waste. What is the role of consumers following the path of consumerism here?
Dr Alicja Sielska from the Institute of Economic Sciences at the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics of the University of Wrocław will attempt to answer this question. Thanks to a grant from the NCN Miniatura 8 competition, she will conduct survey research in eight of Poland’s largest cities.
It will consider not only Poles’ decisions regarding the purchase of electrical and electronic equipment, but also public awareness of obsolescence and its impact on the environment. In addition, her analysis will look at consumer decisions by gender.
We can assume that Poles are knowledgeable about shortening the life of the goods they own – says our researcher. – However, they do not perceive this strategy as a consequence of their purchasing decisions, believing that the full responsibility lies with unethical entrepreneurs.
Likewise – they have knowledge about pollution, but do not feel complicit. – Additionally, women and men make different purchasing decisions – the researcher believes. – As a consequence, women may throw away broken equipment, while men will undertake to repair it themselves, which would imply a different gender impact on the creation of the life-shortening phenomenon of goods.
The results obtained from the grant will be used as a prelude to a broader study taking into account interviews with producers and the role of legislation in offsetting the consequences of deliberate ageing.
Grants were also awarded in the July distribution of NCN Miniatures for other researchers from the University of Wrocław:
dr Edyta Włodarczyk-Czech for the project „Sytuacja polityczno-prawna zakonów niemieckich migrujących ze Śląska na tereny niemieckie po zakończeniu II wojny światowej”
dr Konrad Lipiński for the project „Przestępstwa „bez winy”
dr Olga Hałub-Kowalczyk for the project „Prawo dostępu do wody w prawie międzynarodowym”
dr Marcin Borowski for the project „Obrazy „psychopatów” w twórczości Fiodora Dostojewskiego”
Read more about July’s NCN Miniatura grants
complied by Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
