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My aim in this paper is to develop the concept of moral economy by exploring how moral principles intertwine and interact with forms of economic organisation. Through applying a holistic moral-economy framework, this paper explores institutional variations in the moral economies of recycling, paying attention to those lay normativities that shape consumers' everyday interactions with their waste. The starting point for this paper comes from the observation that moral messages used to promote recycling differ between Sweden and England. In Sweden the protection and stewardship of the natural environment are key tropes, whereas in England recycling is promoted as an action that saves the environment and public money. I show that the content of these moral messages is closely related to the system of recycling provision within a country, together shaping nationally distinct moral economies of recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recycling of domestic waste has become increasingly significant over recent years with governments across the world pledging increases in their recycling rates. But success in reaching targets relies on the input and effort of the household and consumer. This article argues that the work consumers regularly perform in sorting their recyclable waste into different fractions and, in some cases, transporting this to communal sites, plays an integral role in the overall division of labour within waste management processes. We develop the concept of 'consumption work' drawing on comparative research in Sweden and England to show how the consumer is both at the end and starting point of a circular global economy of materials re-use. The work that consumers do has not been systematically explored as a distinctive form of labour, and we argue that treating it seriously requires revision of the conventional approach to the division of labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence to support government programs to improve public health often is weak. Recognition of this 'knowledge gap' has led to calls for more and better evaluation, but decisions about priorities for evaluation also need to be addressed in regard to financial restraint. Using England's Healthy Community Challenge Fund as a case study, this article presents a set of questions to stimulate and structure debate among researchers, funders, and policymakers and help make decisions about evaluation within and between complex public health interventions as they evolve from initial concept to dissemination of full-scale intervention packages. This approach can be used to identify the types of knowledge that might be generated from any evaluation, given the strength of evidence available in response to each of five questions, and to support a more systematic consideration of resource allocation decisions, depending on the types of knowledge required. The principles of this approach may be generalizable, and should be tested and refined for other complex public health and wider social interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]