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Sustainability and incommensurability: Narrative policy analysis with application to urban ecology

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  • Lejano, Raul P.
  • Newbery, Nicola
  • Ciolino, Maegan
  • Newbery, David

Abstract

Sustainability entails considering multiple values in decision-making. However, evaluation most often devolves into thin, unidimensional interpretations of value (e.g., as market price). This article develops an alternative (narrative) mode of assessment that involves “thick” description that preserves the distinctiveness of different types of values, such as the cultural and ecological. The narrative approach combines otherwise incommensurable qualities into a coherent description of the situation, achieving integration not through commensuration but emplotment. The narrative analytic framework is described and then applied to a case study involving development around ecological habitat in Hong Kong. The article ends with a note on the applicability of narrative analytics for capturing sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Lejano, Raul P. & Newbery, Nicola & Ciolino, Maegan & Newbery, David, 2019. "Sustainability and incommensurability: Narrative policy analysis with application to urban ecology," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:164:y:2019:i:c:29
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.06.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Etxano, Iker & Villalba-Eguiluz, Unai, 2021. "Twenty-five years of social multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) in the search for sustainability: Analysis of case studies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    2. Allain, Sandrine & Salliou, Nicolas, 2022. "Making differences legible: Incommensurability as a vehicle for sustainable landscape management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    3. Wing Shan Kan & Raul P. Lejano, 2021. "How Land Use, Climate Change, and an Ageing Demographic Intersect to Create New Vulnerabilities in Hong Kong," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-8, April.
    4. Halliki Kreinin, 2021. "The divergent narratives and strategies of unions in times of social-ecological crises: fracking and the UK energy sector," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(4), pages 453-468, November.
    5. Raul P. Lejano, 2019. "Relationality and Social–Ecological Systems: Going Beyond or Behind Sustainability and Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-9, May.

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