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The Practical Fit of Concepts: Ecosystem Services and the Value of Nature

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  • Hayley Stevenson
  • Graeme Auld
  • Jen Iris Allan
  • Lorraine Elliott
  • James Meadowcroft

Abstract

Conceptual innovations are a central feature of global environmental governance. Confronting degradation and unsustainability, scholars and practitioners turn to new concepts to identify, make sense of, and chart new directions towards meaningful governance solutions. But why do some concepts create lasting changes to governance institutions and governance practices, while others do not? Ideational theories of international relations highlight the importance of normative fit. In this paper we analyze the concept of ecosystem services to show that normative fit is just one dimension of governance fitness, which also includes practical fitness. Ecologists and economists coined the concept of ecosystem services to make biodiversity conservation intelligible to decision-makers versed in economic thinking. It has gained rhetorical traction, but ultimately failed to change how we treat nature because it lacks practical fitness. We interviewed fifty-six individuals working in twelve international organizations that have sought to translate the concept of ecosystem services into practice. Our analysis reveals forces limiting practical fit and constraining institutional uptake at three levels of analysis: structural, organizational, and agent. We present a cautionary tale that pushes scholars to carefully consider practical fit alongside normative fit when suggesting new concepts as organizing frames for how we govern global environmental challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Hayley Stevenson & Graeme Auld & Jen Iris Allan & Lorraine Elliott & James Meadowcroft, 2021. "The Practical Fit of Concepts: Ecosystem Services and the Value of Nature," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 21(2), pages 3-22, Spring.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:21:y:2021:i:2:p:3-22
    DOI: 10.1162/glep_a_00587
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    Cited by:

    1. Jen Iris Allan & Graeme Auld & Timothy Cadman & Hayley Stevenson, 2022. "Comparative Fortunes of Ecosystem Services as an International Governance Concept," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(1), pages 62-75, February.
    2. Flood, Kate & Mahon, Marie & McDonagh, John, 2024. "A process perspective of conceptual innovation: Integrating equity in applications of the ecosystem services concept in Ireland," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Chetan Sharma & Damir D. Torrico & Lloyd Carpenter & Roland Harrison, 2021. "Indigenous Meanings of Provenance in the Context of Alternative Food Movements and Supply-Chain Traceability: A Review," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    4. Laterra, Pedro & Weyland, Federico & Auer, Alejandra & Barral, Paula & González, Aira & Mastrángelo, Matías & Rositano, Florencia & Sirimarco, Ximena, 2023. "MARCHI: A serious game for participatory governance of ecosystem services in multiple-use protected areas," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    5. Kuifeng Wang & Paul Liu & Fengsheng Sun & Shengwen Wang & Gong Zhang & Taiping Zhang & Guodong Chen & Jinqiu Liu & Gangchao Wang & Songkun Cao, 2023. "Progress in Realizing the Value of Ecological Products in China and Its Practice in Shandong Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-30, June.

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