Sustainability indicators revisited: Getting from political objectives to performance outcomes—a response to Graham Pinfield

Brugmann, Jeb

doi:10.1080/13549839708725534

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Yet there are some nagging doubts. Comments from workers about the lack of use of SD indicators are all too common in the literature (Moran, 1994;Pinfield, 1996;Brugmann, 1997aBrugmann, , 1997bStirling, 1999;Jesinghaus, 2000;Pannell and Glenn, 2000;Rigby et al, 2000). Yet who is meant to act in all of this?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Experiences with sustainability indicators and stakeholder participation: a case study relating to a ‘Blue Plan’ project in Malta

Bell

Morse

2004

Sustainable Development

102

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The practical application of systemic sustainability analysis (SSA; Bell and Morse, 1999) as applied in a project instigated and managed by ‘Blue Plan’, one of the regional activity centres of the Mediterranean Action Plan, is set out and explained in this paper. The context in which SSA was applied and adapted to SPSA (systemic and prospective sustainability analysis) is described in the Mediterranean, primarily in Malta.The SSA process is summarized, its extension and linkage to the prospective approach is described and the comments of stakeholders in the context are added. Some preliminary outcomes are suggested. The particular focus of the paper is on the lessons learned from doing SSA/SPSA within a classic blueprint project framework. It is not assumed that SSA/SPSA is ‘finished’ or ‘definitive’. Rather, we suggest that it is a developing and changing approach that practitioners can adapt and change to meet the specific needs of the circumstances that confront them. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Experiences with sustainability indicators and stakeholder participation: a case study relating to a ‘Blue Plan’ project in Malta

Bell

Morse

2004

Sustainable Development

102

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“…This is not to say that funders abandon a focus on eventual outcomes. It is important that project outcomes feed into sustainable development policy and this should include an assessment of performance on the part of implementing agencies (Brugmann, 1997b;Guy and Kibert, 1998). Learning in itself does not necessarily lead to change (Brugmann, 1997a), but it was noticeable in both the Malta and Lebanon projects that no frustration set in amongst participants, even though the eventual usage of the SIs generated as an output is, at the time of writing, uncertain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delivering sustainability therapy in sustainable development projects

Bell

Morse

2005

Journal of Environmental Management

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This paper explores the apparent contradiction between the 'linearity' of most Sustainable Development projects, with time-bound and defined outputs achieved at a fixed cost, and an implied 'circularity' of the theory whereby there is no 'end'. Projects usually have clear parameters within which they are implemented, and the inclusion of elements such as the need for accountability, measurable impact and 'value for money' have grown in importance. It could be argued that we live in a 'projectified' and therefore linear world. The paper explores the potential contradiction between 'linearity' and 'circularity', and suggests that one way around this is to frame the project within a form of the Kolb Learning Cycle heuristic. This will facilitate a rationalisation from those implementing the sustainable development project as to why decisions are being made and for whom. If these questions are opened up to the project stakeholders, including beneficiaries, then the Kolb cycle could encourage learning and understanding by all involved. It could also provide Sustainability Therapy to those trapped in processes which they find orthogonal to their own perceptions. It is suggested that such learning, therapy and reflective practice should be a valid output of the sustainable development project, although typically the focus is only upon the final outputs and how they feed into policy. Ironically funders would be well advised to take a broader perspective in order to achieve true 'value for money' within such projects, even if learning is not an easily measurable or tangible outcome. These points are explored within the context of the wider literature and experience with a sustainable development project undertaken in Malta.

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“…On the other hand, Brugmann (1997Brugmann ( , 1998 and others have critiqued citizen-led sustainability indicator initiatives, (including Sustainable Seattle's earlier projects), as failing to establish the link between indicators and action. In Brugmann's view, governmental accountability should be a key objective of indicator system development.…”

Section: Use Of Sustainability Indicator Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Their contention is that these two approaches need to be integrated for a more nuanced understanding of system interactions. The process of engaging citizens to select indicators ensures they are relevant to the community, while government involvement can enhance data reliability (Fraser et al 2006;Brugmann 1998).…”

Section: Use Of Sustainability Indicator Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing Sustainability Indicator Frameworks for Information Flow: A Case Study of B-Sustainable

Sonntag

2010

Applied Research Quality Life

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In the early 1990s, community indicators gained currency as a principal means of turning visions of sustainability into action. In the intervening years, indicator projects have been launched by communities the world over to guide and measure progress towards sustainability, but their effectiveness in serving this purpose has also been questioned. These critiques have focused attention on how information is organized within indicator systems in addition to the content and quality of the information itself. This case study draws on the work of Sustainable Seattle, an early pioneer in developing community indicators through participatory processes, to create a next-generation sustainability indicators system, the BSustainable Information Commons. The study aims to make the framework's design explicit according to its purposes by reflexively analyzing the design in relation to the theory and practice of framework development. The framework's most ambitious goal is to stimulate "information flows" that will lead to collective understandings of emerging sustainability patterns.

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Sustainability indicators revisited: Getting from political objectives to performance outcomes—a response to Graham Pinfield

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Experiences with sustainability indicators and stakeholder participation: a case study relating to a ‘Blue Plan’ project in Malta

Experiences with sustainability indicators and stakeholder participation: a case study relating to a ‘Blue Plan’ project in Malta

Delivering sustainability therapy in sustainable development projects

Designing Sustainability Indicator Frameworks for Information Flow: A Case Study of B-Sustainable

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