Measuring Sustainability

by Bell, Simon; Morse, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9781853838439
• ISBN10: 1853838438
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Measuring the sustainability of development is crucial to achieving it and is one of the most actively studied subjects in the field. To date, most studies of measurements or indicators have been largely theoretical. This book presents valuable practical advice on how to develop measurements that will work in real-life development contexts. It describes and analyzes how to derive, validate and apply indicators in the course of an actual development project ' in this case the Mediterranean Action Plan. The authors explain the trade-offs and constraints involved and how to combine the more open-ended and flexible perspectives of sustainability with the linear process and fixed targets of specific projects, demonstrating the pragmatic and reflexive methodology involved

Author Biography

Stephen Morse is Reader in development studies at the University of Reading in the UK.

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes	p. vii
Preface	p. x
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations	p. xv
The Brave New Frontier of Sustainability: Where are We?	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
What is sustainable development?	p. 2
Gauging progress	p. 13
Multiple perspectives	p. 18
Public participation: talk and action	p. 22
Summary	p. 27
Sustainability Indicators: A Brief Review	p. 29
Introduction	p. 29
Indicators of sustainable development	p. 30
Integration of sustainable development indicators	p. 39
The reference condition	p. 46
Using indicators of sustainable development	p. 48
Summary	p. 57
Systemic Sustainability Analysis and Prospective	p. 58
Introduction	p. 58
Personal background to the field work	p. 60
The importance of the subjective	p. 65
Background to CAMP Malta	p. 66
Technical specification for SSA	p. 71
Familiarizing the Maltese SSA team	p. 74
What are SSA and SPSA and how are they different?	p. 79
SSA and Blue Plan approaches	p. 86
Doing SPSA: Some Reflective Experience	p. 91
Introduction	p. 91
Find out how things are: reflection	p. 93
Understand the context for sustainability indicators: reflection/connection	p. 97
Gather the stakeholders in the sustainability indicator process: reflection/connection	p. 100
Get clear on methods: connection	p. 105
Identify the stakeholder coalition: connection	p. 110
Identify and agree the main SIs: connection/modelling	p. 114
Identify and agree the band of equilibrium: modelling	p. 114
Develop the AMOEBA in a collaborative manner: modelling/doing	p. 114
Think about how the AMOEBA extends over time: modelling/doing	p. 123
Unpack and understand the AMOEBA--futures: modelling/doing	p. 123
Responding to 'good' and 'bad' AMOEBA--policy implications: doing	p. 126
Making changes to the SI mix in the light of practice: doing/reflecting	p. 131
New Frontiers of Practice	p. 135
Introduction	p. 135
New ways of thinking about sustainability indicators	p. 139
Other dimensions to sustainability indicators: a new synthesis (Kolb learning cycle)	p. 143
Applying the learning cycle in sustainable development	p. 157
Summary	p. 160
The End of a Journey?	p. 162
Systemic and Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA) in Malta	p. 166
Notes	p. 174
References	p. 177
Index	p. 187
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.