Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model
<p>Social norms are a key socio-cultural driver of human behaviour and have been identified as a central process in potential social tipping dynamics. They play a central role in governance and thus represent a possible intervention point for collective action problems in the Anthropocene, suc...
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| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Earth System Dynamics |
| Online Access: | https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/16/1365/2025/esd-16-1365-2025.pdf |
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| author | M. Bechthold M. Bechthold M. Bechthold W. Barfuss W. Barfuss A. Butz J. Breier J. Breier S. M. Constantino J. Heitzig L. Schwarz L. Schwarz L. Schwarz S. N. Vardag J. F. Donges J. F. Donges J. F. Donges |
| author_facet | M. Bechthold M. Bechthold M. Bechthold W. Barfuss W. Barfuss A. Butz J. Breier J. Breier S. M. Constantino J. Heitzig L. Schwarz L. Schwarz L. Schwarz S. N. Vardag J. F. Donges J. F. Donges J. F. Donges |
| author_sort | M. Bechthold |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Social norms are a key socio-cultural driver of human behaviour and have been identified as a central process in potential social tipping dynamics. They play a central role in governance and thus represent a possible intervention point for collective action problems in the Anthropocene, such as natural resource management. A detailed modelling framework for social norm change is needed to capture the dynamics of human societies and their feedback interactions with the natural environment. To date, resource use models often incorporate social norms in an oversimplified manner, as a robust and detailed coupled social–ecological model, scaling from the local to the global world–Earth scale, is lacking. Here we present a multi-level network framework with a complex contagion process for modelling the dynamics of descriptive and injunctive social norms. The framework is complemented by social groups and their attitudes, which can significantly influence the adoption of social norms. We integrate the modelling concept of norms together with an additional individual learning component into a model of coupled social–ecological dynamics with a closed feedback loop, implemented in the copan:CORE framework for world–Earth modelling. We find that norms generally bifurcate the behaviour space into two extreme states: one sustainable and one unsustainable. Reaching a sustainable (i.e. safe) state becomes more likely with low thresholds of conforming to sustainable norms, as well as lower consideration rates of own resource harvesting success. Modelling both descriptive and injunctive norms independently and dynamically introduces additional intermediate states, e.g. when there are countervailing norms. The shape of the bifurcation depends on the number of groups and members and thus on the social network topology. Where groups are very inert in changing their attitudes and thus consistently convey the same norm, multiple stable basins for sustainability levels are found. Groups influence the dynamics by facilitating or inhibiting the contagion of sustainable behaviour by communicating their norms. The success of a generic social norm intervention<span id="page1366"/> is also found to be highly dependent on the group topology. Our findings suggest that explicitly modelling social norm processes together with social groups enriches the dynamics of social–ecological models and determines safe operating spaces. Consequently, both should be taken into account when representing human behaviour in coupled world–Earth models.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7c69cc10fb494730b1b88c1ea587793c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2190-4979 2190-4987 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| series | Earth System Dynamics |
| spelling | doaj-art-7c69cc10fb494730b1b88c1ea587793c2025-08-26T09:07:16ZengCopernicus PublicationsEarth System Dynamics2190-49792190-49872025-08-01161365139010.5194/esd-16-1365-2025Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network modelM. Bechthold0M. Bechthold1M. Bechthold2W. Barfuss3W. Barfuss4A. Butz5J. Breier6J. Breier7S. M. Constantino8J. Heitzig9L. Schwarz10L. Schwarz11L. Schwarz12S. N. Vardag13J. F. Donges14J. F. Donges15J. F. Donges16Earth System Analysis & Earth Resilience Science Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyInstitute of Physics and Astronomy, Potsdam University, Potsdam, GermanyDepartment Integrative Earth System Science, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, GermanyEarth System Analysis & Earth Resilience Science Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyCenter for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Genscherallee 3, 53113 Bonn, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, GermanyEarth System Analysis & Earth Resilience Science Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyDepartment Integrative Earth System Science, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, GermanyDepartment of Environmental Social Sciences, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USAComplexity Science Department, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyEarth System Analysis & Earth Resilience Science Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyDepartment Integrative Earth System Science, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Science and Geography, Potsdam University, Potsdam, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, GermanyEarth System Analysis & Earth Resilience Science Unit, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Telegrafenberg A31, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyDepartment Integrative Earth System Science, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, GermanyStockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Frescativägen 8, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden<p>Social norms are a key socio-cultural driver of human behaviour and have been identified as a central process in potential social tipping dynamics. They play a central role in governance and thus represent a possible intervention point for collective action problems in the Anthropocene, such as natural resource management. A detailed modelling framework for social norm change is needed to capture the dynamics of human societies and their feedback interactions with the natural environment. To date, resource use models often incorporate social norms in an oversimplified manner, as a robust and detailed coupled social–ecological model, scaling from the local to the global world–Earth scale, is lacking. Here we present a multi-level network framework with a complex contagion process for modelling the dynamics of descriptive and injunctive social norms. The framework is complemented by social groups and their attitudes, which can significantly influence the adoption of social norms. We integrate the modelling concept of norms together with an additional individual learning component into a model of coupled social–ecological dynamics with a closed feedback loop, implemented in the copan:CORE framework for world–Earth modelling. We find that norms generally bifurcate the behaviour space into two extreme states: one sustainable and one unsustainable. Reaching a sustainable (i.e. safe) state becomes more likely with low thresholds of conforming to sustainable norms, as well as lower consideration rates of own resource harvesting success. Modelling both descriptive and injunctive norms independently and dynamically introduces additional intermediate states, e.g. when there are countervailing norms. The shape of the bifurcation depends on the number of groups and members and thus on the social network topology. Where groups are very inert in changing their attitudes and thus consistently convey the same norm, multiple stable basins for sustainability levels are found. Groups influence the dynamics by facilitating or inhibiting the contagion of sustainable behaviour by communicating their norms. The success of a generic social norm intervention<span id="page1366"/> is also found to be highly dependent on the group topology. Our findings suggest that explicitly modelling social norm processes together with social groups enriches the dynamics of social–ecological models and determines safe operating spaces. Consequently, both should be taken into account when representing human behaviour in coupled world–Earth models.</p>https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/16/1365/2025/esd-16-1365-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | M. Bechthold M. Bechthold M. Bechthold W. Barfuss W. Barfuss A. Butz J. Breier J. Breier S. M. Constantino J. Heitzig L. Schwarz L. Schwarz L. Schwarz S. N. Vardag J. F. Donges J. F. Donges J. F. Donges Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model Earth System Dynamics |
| title | Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model |
| title_full | Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model |
| title_fullStr | Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model |
| title_short | Social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social–ecological multi-layer network model |
| title_sort | social norms and groups structure safe operating spaces in renewable resource use in a social ecological multi layer network model |
| url | https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/16/1365/2025/esd-16-1365-2025.pdf |
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