Buen Vivir As an Alternative to Sustainable Development: the Case of Cotacachi, Ecuador
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Buen Vivir as an Alternative to Sustainable Development: The case of Cotacachi, Ecuador by Natasha Chassagne Total words: 97, 589 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the PhD in Business & Law Centre for Social Impact Swinburne University of Technology May 2019 Abstract Sustainable Development (SD) as a concept was introduced in the 1970s to incorporate environmental considerations into mainstream development practice. SD has arguably failed to achieve its aims of intergenerational sustainability and human wellbeing thus far. This research identifies the Latin American concept of Buen Vivir (BV) as an alternative to the mainstream concept of SD. BV is a plural, biocentric approach to achieving Sustainable Social and Environmental Wellbeing (SSEW). Its plurality refers to a plurality of being, as well as a plurality of knowledge and vision. Yet despite political efforts to operationalise BV, there is a gap in knowledge for a coherent articulation of what BV entails and how it is implemented at the community level. As such it this research aims to find a path for practical implementation. This thesis asks the question: can BV become a practical and viable alternative to sustainable development? Drawing on the literature, this thesis finds that BV is a contested concept with a set of core common principles. It is contextual, with no universal definition. To advance understandings of BV on the ground at the community level, I conducted a short-term ethnographic study in the Cotacachi County, Ecuador. This research found that BV can become a viable alternative to Sustainable Development if certain conditions are met. The most fundamental condition is the transition to a post-extractive economy, as BV is seen as incompatible with extractivism - defined as the extraction of natural resources to satisfy a capitalist market. The research concludes that BV should be considered as a community tool to practically pursue the principles of BV endogenously through an approach called Vivir Bien (VB). VB is integral to BV but is defined by key actors as the process (practice) to achieve change at the community level, as opposed to the utopian goal (policy) of BV. The outcome of this approach is SSEW with communities identifying their own fundamental needs (basic and psychological needs) in the process. This thesis’ most important contribution is a synthesis of the core common principles of BV, the distinction of VB from BV, and a framework to guide both practice (VB) and policy (BV). Apart from the practical implications for communities, these findings can allow governments to position themselves to satisfy their global SD responsibilities. This research concludes that this plural, yet endogenous approach is the most promising alternative to SD to achieve SSEW. i Declarations and Statements Declaration of Originality This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University or any other institution, except by way of background information and duly acknowledged in the thesis, and to the best of my knowledge and belief no material previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright. Authority of Access The publishers of the paper comprising Chapter Two hold the copyright for that content, and access to the material should be sought from the respective journal. The remaining non-published content of the thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying and communication in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Statement of Ethical Conduct The research associated with this thesis abides by the international and Australian codes on human and animal experimentation, the guidelines by the Australian Government's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator and the rulings of the Ethics Committees of the University. Ethics approval was obtained on 5 May 2015, by the Tasmanian Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Tasmania - Ethics reference number: H0014742. Signed: Date: 16 October 2018 ii Acknowledgements There are many things I am grateful for being able to do this research project that I hold close to my heart. The first is to the people of Intag in Ecuador, who inspired this project on the first place, by sharing with me their beliefs and values and their quest for Buen Vivir, the Good Life. My supervisors Prof. Robyn Eversole and A/Prof. Fred Gale have provided such invaluable guidance and I am forever grateful. There have also been a few people who have provided their support along the way. Thank you to Heidi Laugesen for help with proofreading. A special thanks – muchísimas gracias – to my local research assistant Carolina Carrión, without whom, the fieldwork component of this research might not have been possible. Last but certainly not least is my family, especially my very supporting and patient husband Antoine who has been both a rock and a sounding board during the PhD journey, and of course my beautiful children Alexandre and Zara, who were both born during the thesis. iii What we want is to destroy our false, inorganic connections, especially those related to money, and re-establish the living organic connections, with the cosmos, the sun and earth, with mankind and nation and family. Start with the sun, and the rest will slowly, slowly happen. D.H. Lawrence [1930], Apocalypse and the writings on revelation We by no means rule over nature like a conqueror over a foreign people, like someone standing outside nature - but ... we, with flesh, blood and brain, belong to nature, and exist in its midst Marx and Engels [1968]. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................ i Declarations and Statements .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. vii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Research Question ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. What Do We Already Know? .......................................................................................................... 4 1.4. Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................................. 5 1.5. Focus .............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.6. Aims ................................................................................................................................................ 8 1.7. Theoretical Lens ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.8. Research Sub-Questions ............................................................................................................... 9 1.9. Analysis of the Literature .............................................................................................................. 10 1.10 Structure of the Thesis .................................................................................................................. 11 2. Chapter One: Towards an Alternative to Development: A Review of the Literature ............................. 14 2.1. The Brief History of Development and the Growing Legitimacy of Post-Development Alternatives .. 14 2.2. Sustaining Growth: The Emergence of Sustainable Development ............................................... 18 2.3. The Growing Legitimacy of Post-Development Theory ................................................................ 27 2.4. The Age of Extractivism ................................................................................................................ 32 2.5. Buen Vivir: A Path Toward Wellbeing and Sustainability ............................................................. 35 3. Chapter Two: Sustaining the ‘Good Life’: Buen Vivir as an Alternative to Sustainable Development .. 37 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 37 3.2. Indigenous Origins to Political Discourse ..................................................................................... 39 3.3. A Plural Alternative to Sustainable Development ......................................................................... 41 3.4. Buen Vivir: Equal Aims Contested Definitions .............................................................................. 43 3.5. Conclusion: A Grassroots Solution to Wellbeing and Sustainability? ........................................... 46 4. Chapter Three: Methodology ................................................................................................................ 49 4.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................