Testing the quality of transformative science methods: the example of the Human Scale Development approach

Scholars and funding bodies alike are increasingly calling for transformative research that delivers socially robust and impact-oriented outcomes. This paper argues that the Human Scale Development approach (HSDA) introduced by Max-Neef and colleagues in Latin America during the 1980s can serve as a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability science 2021-09, Vol.16 (5), p.1439-1457
Main Authors: Spiering, Salina, Barrera, María del Valle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Climate Change Management and Policy
Concepts
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Economics
Environmental Management
Knowledge
Knowledge Management for Sustainability Science
Landscape Ecology
Methodology
Methods
Original
Original Article
Public Health
Quality assessment
Science
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Scholars and funding bodies alike are increasingly calling for transformative research that delivers socially robust and impact-oriented outcomes. This paper argues that the Human Scale Development approach (HSDA) introduced by Max-Neef and colleagues in Latin America during the 1980s can serve as a method for transformative science (TSc). HSDA is both a theory and a participatory methodology and thus contributes toward fulfilling the objectives of TSc, which are scientific, practical and educational. In this paper, we begin by explicating how the fundamental human needs (FHN) approach of the HSDA can support scholars and practitioners alike in addressing complex sustainability challenges. We then refer to the methodological adaptations to the original proposal that we have previously developed to illustrate how Max-Neef's methodological approach might be further extended and to demonstrate how these changes can strengthen HSDA and make it even more useful for generating knowledge needed in sustainability transformations. To inform and support research that builds on the co-production of knowledge, we test HSDA with regard to TSc quality criteria and show how it adds value to the existing canon of TSc methods. To this end, we develop an analytical framework that can be deployed to assess the quality of TSc methods.
ISSN:1862-4065
1862-4057
DOI:10.1007/s11625-021-00966-3