Palmer Fry, Benjamin N. , Agarwala, Matthew, Atkinson, Giles, Clements, Tom, Homewood, Katherine , Mourato, Susana, Rowcliffe, J. Marcus , Wallace, Graham and Milner-Gulland, Eleanor Jane (2015) Monitoring local well-being in environmental interventions: a consideration of practical trade-offs. Oryx, online . pp. 1-9. ISSN 0030-6053
Abstract
Within the field of environmental management and conservation, the concept of well-being is starting to gain traction in monitoring the socio-economic and cultural impact of interventions on local people. Here we consider the practical trade-offs policy makers and practitioners must navigate when utilizing the concept of well-being in environmental interventions. We first review current concepts of well-being before considering the need to balance the complexity and practical applicability of the definition used and to consider both positive and negative components of well-being. A key determinant of how well-being is operationalized is the identity of the organization wishing to monitor it. We describe the trade-offs around the external and internal validity of different approaches to measuring well-being and the relative contributions of qualitative and quantitative information to understanding well-being. We explore how these trade-offs may be decided as a result of a power struggle between stakeholders. Well-being is a complex, multi-dimensional, dynamic concept that cannot be easily defined and measured. Local perspectives are often missed during the project design process as a result of the more powerful voices of national governments and international NGOs, so for equity and local relevance it is important to ensure these perspectives are represented at a high level in project design and implementation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJourna... |
| Additional Information: | © 2015 Cambridge University Press |
| Library of Congress subject classification: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences |
| Sets: | Departments > Geography and Environment |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Dec 2015 12:53 |
| URL: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/64708/ |
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