Sustainability indicators : measuring the immeasurable? / Simon Bell and Stephen Morse.

By:

Bell, Simon

Contributor(s):

Morse, Stephen

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: London [u.a.] : Earthscan, c 2008.Edition: 2. rev. edDescription: XX, 28 S. : graph. Darst. ; 24cmISBN:

9781844072996

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

338.927 BEL

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Standard Loan	Thurles Library Main Collection	338.927 BEL (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		R18639PKRC

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The groundbreaking first edition of Sustainability Indicators reviewed the development and value of sustainability indicators and discussed the advantage of taking a holistic and qualitative approach rather than focusing on strictly quantitative measures. In the new edition the authors bring the literature up to date and show that the basic requirement for a systemic approach is now well grounded in the evidence.

They examine the origins and development of Systemic Sustainability Analysis (SSA) as a theoretical approach to sustainability which has been developed in practice in a number of countries on an array of projects since the first edition. They look at how SSA has evolved into the practical approaches of Systemic Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA) and IMAGINE, and, in particular how a wide range of participatory methodologies have been adopted over the years. They also provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of projects that undertake work in the general field of sustainable development.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [209]-222) and index.

Previous ed.: 1999.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes (p. ix)
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations (p. xiii)
Foreword (p. xvii)
Acknowledgements (p. xxi)
Part I The Bad Application of Good Science?
1 Sustainability and Sustainability Indicators (p. 3)
Introduction and objectives (p. 3)
Two roots of sustainability (p. 6)
The meaning of sustainability (p. 10)
Space and time in sustainability (p. 14)
System quality (p. 17)
Sustainability in practice (p. 20)
Indicators of ecosystem health (p. 22)
Sustainability indicators and indices (p. 27)
Sustainability indicators: A realistic and reasonable approach to measuring sustainability? (p. 41)
2 Sustainability Indicators in Practice (p. 45)
Introduction and objectives (p. 45)
Maximum sustainable yield (p. 48)
Problems with applying maximum sustainable yield (p. 55)
Maximum sustainable yield as a sustainability indicator (p. 60)
Sustainability indicators in marine ecosystems: The AMOEBA approach (p. 62)
Conclusions (p. 69)
3 Indicators, Cities, Institutions and Projects (p. 75)
Introduction and objectives (p. 75)
Sustainable communities (p. 78)
Institutional sustainability (p. 84)
Projects, appraisal and sustainability (p. 92)
Part II The Application of Grounded and Pragmatic Systemisism
4 Paradigms and Professionals (p. 101)
Introduction and objectives (p. 101)
Changes in thinking: From science to systems (p. 104)
The demise of narrow scientism (p. 106)
Systems approaches to problem-solving (p. 110)
A range of systems approaches (p. 114)
A problem-solving approach: The soft systems method (p. 115)
Problem description: The learning organization approach (p. 117)
Appraisal: The participatory rural appraisal approach (p. 119)
Project handling: The logframe approach (p. 122)
An overview of systemic approaches (p. 125)
New definitions and new thinking: Holism, eclecticism, systemisism and future casting (p. 126)
Emerging premises for SI development (p. 131)
5 Projects and Sustainability Indicators (p. 133)
Introduction and objectives (p. 133)
The project scenario for SIs (p. 136)
The stakeholder scenario for SIs: Participation and coalition (p. 140)
Accommodating multiple views of sustainability (p. 142)
Introducing the systemic sustainability analysis idea: The Imagine Approach (p. 147)
6 Imagine: An Example of a Systemic Sustainability Analysis (p. 153)
Introduction and objectives (p. 153)
Step 1 The beginning of the process - understand the context (p. 157)
Step 2 Identify the main SIs and the band of equilibrium (p. 170)
Step 3 The development of AMOEBA and scenario-making (p. 181)
Step 4 Review and meta-scenario-making (p. 187)
Step 5 Publicity, publicizing and marketing the message - influencing policy (p. 189)
Conclusion: Renewing the cycle (p. 191)
Part III Where Next? Humility and Honesty
7 Sustainability Indicators: The Rhetoric and the Reality (p. 195)
Introduction and objectives (p. 195)
Managing expectation in the projectified world order (p. 197)
Organic and empowering approaches compared to inorganic and dehumanizing approaches (p. 199)
Culture change (p. 201)
The essential need for reflective practice (p. 203)
Future research priorities (p. 204)
Epistemological questions (p. 205)
The systemic approach (p. 206)
Participatory SIs in social development projects and research (p. 206)
Assessment of SIs (p. 206)
References (p. 209)
Index (p. 223)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Simon Bell is Director of the Bayswater Institute in London, a Senior Lecturer at the Open University and co-author with Stephen Morse of Measuring Sustainability (2003) and also co-author of How to Set Up Information Systems (2003)
Stephen Morse is Reader in development studies, Department of Geography, University of Reading, UK, and author of Indices and Indicators in Development (2004)