Expanding Well-Being by Participating in Grassroots Innovations: Using the Capability Approach to Explore the Interest of Alternative Food Networks for Community Social Services

Grassroots social innovations are citizen-led initiatives that develop bottom-up solutions to societal challenges. Alternative food networks (AFNs) are innovations which propose alternative schemes for distribution and consumption of food such as community-based agriculture or food cooperatives which can improve the well-being of participants. Its potential for social work and social services has been recognised, but remains underexplored. This paper proposes a theoretical framework based on the capability approach in order to explore the impacts, drivers and factors at play in the expansion of well-being in participants in AFNs. This framework is applied to address seven cases of different kind of AFNs in Valencia (Spain) and to explore implications and strands of action so community social services can make use of AFNs. The study draws on information from thirteen interviews with participants of AFNs, local experts and policymakers; from secondary sources and from participant observation. It deductively uses the categories in the framework and inductively identifies specific capabilities, drivers and factors. The results show that AFNs expand well-being in several aspects of human experience. They are highly diverse, from more reformist to more radical, so they can mobilise different publics. Social services can benefit from this impact and diversit

SDG localisation and decentralised development aid: exploring opposing discourses and practices in Valencia's aid sector

The approval of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has generated intense debates in the aid sector at the global, national and subnational levels. A key question is whether they can address structural problems in development aid policies and practices, such as the lack of accountability and coherence, unequal power relations, or depoliticisation. It seems that this will depend on how the agenda is adopted in the various territories as well as on the different interests at play. We address this question by studying the case of the Valencian Autonomous region. This is the territory in Spain where institutions have been the most active in establishing the SDGs at the core of the political discourses. We follow a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with key respondents from the public, civil society and university sectors, participant observation, and the analysis of secondary information. Inspired by critical discourse analysis, we explore the varying and conflicting discourses regarding the potential of SDGs to address the problems of aid, and on the impacts that its adoption are producing. We illustrate that the introduction of SDGs in aid policies is a conflictive process modelled by the power dynamics

Addressing sustainable food management in hotels: proposing a framework and examining hotel groups

Purpose - Sustainable food practices have been recognised as a key issue in efforts to improve and report sustainable tourism practices, given the importance of the social, environmental and economic impacts of the food industry throughout its entire chain of production - from farm to fork. From this standpoint, the aim of the present paper is to propose a comprehensive framework for reporting or making decisions concerning sustainable food management in hotels, taking into account the various facets of the food supply chain. Design/methodology/approach - Several dimensions are proposed for dealing with sustainable food management, involving all aspects of food supply chains that may be relevant for hotel decision-making. Furthermore, some key criteria for creating and using indicators of different types (qualitative and quantitative) to address these various dimensions of sustainable food management are suggested. Subsequently, the proposed framework is validated with the sustainability criteria and indicators provided by the top eight hotel groups, according to the 2019 SAM Annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Findings - Hotels neglect a number of aspects of sustainable food management identified in the framework. The quality and the quantity of the information provided by hotels are limited. Practical implications - There is a need to improve sustainability in food management in the hotels under analysis in several areas. A comprehensive framework such as that proposed in this paper may be of great value in seeking to remedy this situation. It may also assist users of hotel services and communities in making more informed decisions. Originality/value - The proposed framework may be beneficial in advancing academic debate towards a more embracing and relevant understanding of sustainable food management in hotels and on the indicators required in this regard. Keywords Sustainability indicators, Sustainable supply chain, Food chain management, Food waste, Hotels Paper type Research pape

Construyendo comunes para el derecho a la ciudad a través de la innovación social colectiva en la distribución y consumo: explorando un marco conceptual y el caso de Valencia

En la actual crisis urbana, el nuevo municipalismo reclama la reconstrucción de comunes urbanos para avanzar en el derecho a la ciudad. Señala al respecto la importancia de los movimientos sociales y de la acción pública municipal para generar procesos de innovación social "desde abajo". Sin embargo, no se ha explorado suficientemente la literatura sobre innovación social con miras a comprender la construcción de comunes urbanos. Por ello, este trabajo propone, a partir de la literatura sobre innovación social de base, un marco para explorar prácticas de generación de comunes desde la ciudadanía, así como políticas municipales que pueden articularse para apoyarlas. El marco se emplea para explorar, con métodos cualitativos, iniciativas en Valencia (Estado español), en los sectores agroalimentario y energético. Los resultados revelan el potencial y la diversidad de las iniciativas de generación de comunes urbanos para el derecho a la ciudad, así como tensiones y contradicciones que pueden emerger

Analysing participatory video through the capability approach. A case study in Quart de Poblet (Valencia, Spain)

The aim of this paper is to analyse participatory video as a participatory action research method through the lenses of the capability approach. In order to do this, we used a participatory video experience that took place in the municipality of Quart de Poblet (Valencia, Spain) from February to March 2014. The participants were 11 young people between 16 and 24 years of age, severely affected by the economic crisis that has hit Spain in recent years. To develop our analysis, we introduced the participatory video as a technique and a process within the participatory action research methods. Then, we analysed the participatory process to verify the extent to which it had contributed to expanding the capabilities and agency of the participants. The evidence revealed a significant expansion of the awareness capability and, in some cases, of the capability for voice. In contrast, the capability to aspire and the agency of the participants were not expanded, due to contextual factors and the limitations of the process itself

When Collectivity Makes a Difference: Theoretical and Empirical Insights from Urban and Rural Communities in Colombia

[EN] In this paper, we analyse two Colombian communities using elements of the capability approach. The first, Comuna 8, is an urban community in Medellín, Colombia¿s second largest city. The second community is a Zona de Reserva Campesina (Peasant Farmer Reserve Zone) in the Cabrera municipality, in the Department of Cundinamarca. We explore the reasons why people value being part of a community, along with the collective capabilities that are expanded through community participation. As a product of these capabilities communities plan their own territories, which are examples of collective functionings. Social and environmental conversion factors, as well the historical background of the two communities, are key elements in the analysis. Finally, this research sheds light on individual and collective agency. This agency not only occurs in spaces recognised by Colombian law, but also in areas claimed by the communities themselves.This work was supported by Programa Adsideo 2015, Centro de Cooperacion al Desarrollo, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. Ayudas Salvador de Madariaga, Subprograma de Movilidad, Plan Estatal de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica y de Innovacion 2013-2016.Boni Aristizábal, A.; Millan Franco, GF.; Millan Franco, MA. (2018). When Collectivity Makes a Difference: Theoretical and Empirical Insights from Urban and Rural Communities in Colombia. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. 19(2):216-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2017.1412408S216231192Alkire, S. (2002). Valuing Freedoms. doi:10.1093/0199245797.001.0001Biggeri, M., & Ferrannini, A. (2014). Opportunity Gap Analysis: Procedures and Methods for Applying the Capability Approach in Development Initiatives. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 15(1), 60-78. doi:10.1080/19452829.2013.837036Boni, A., & Walker, M. (2016). Universities and Global Human Development. doi:10.4324/9781315742793Crocker, D. A., & Robeyns, I. (s. f.). Capability and Agency. Amartya Sen, 60-90. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511800511.005Deneulin, S. (2014). Wellbeing, Justice and Development Ethics. doi:10.4324/9781315867090Deneulin, S., and S. Alkire. 2009. “A Normative Framework for Development?” InAn Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach: Freedom and Agency, edited by S. Deneulin and L. Shahani, 19–31. London: Earthscan.Drydyk, J. (2013). Empowerment, agency, and power. Journal of Global Ethics, 9(3), 249-262. doi:10.1080/17449626.2013.818374Apsan Frediani, A., Boni, A., & Gasper, D. (2014). Approaching Development Projects from a Human Development and Capability Perspective. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 15(1), 1-12. doi:10.1080/19452829.2013.879014Gaventa, J. (2006). Finding the Spaces for Change: A Power Analysis. IDS Bulletin, 37(6), 23-33. doi:10.1111/j.1759-5436.2006.tb00320.xHill, J. L. (1996). Psychological sense of community: Suggestions for future research. Journal of Community Psychology, 24(4), 431-438. doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6629(199610)24:43.0.co;2-tIbrahim, S. S. (2006). From Individual to Collective Capabilities: The Capability Approach as a Conceptual Framework for Self‐help. Journal of Human Development, 7(3), 397-416. doi:10.1080/14649880600815982McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6-23. doi:10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:13.0.co;2-iRamos-Vidal, I., & Maya-Jariego, I. (2014). Sentido de comunidad, empoderamiento psicológico y participación ciudadana en trabajadores de organizaciones culturales. Psychosocial Intervention, 23(3), 169-176. doi:10.1016/j.psi.2014.04.00

Desarrollo : prácticas y discursos emergentes en América Latina

Latinoamérica se ha constituido desde hace más de un siglo en el laboratorio para la aplicación de recetas hegemónicas para avanzar hacia el desarrollo; también ha sido el escenario en el que se han debatido y resignificado las distintas concepciones que sobre este se han puesto en marcha en la región. En este contexto han sido claves las propuestas que han surgido, desde diferentes instancias: sociedad civil organizada, academia, Estado, minorías, entre otros para repensar el concepto y construir alternativas a la visión hegemónica que sobre este se instala en América Latina. Estos procesos evidencian el tránsito permanente de una noción singular y unívoca del desarrollo que descansa fundamentalmente en garantizar el crecimiento económico a una noción plural (los desarrollos) cuyo eje reside en el ejercicio de derechos y el bienestar; o en planteamientos que pretenden ir más allá, los que por naturaleza, no son únicos sino siempre plurales, en los que prevalecen lógicas distintas a la capitalista y saberes des-centrados para construir de manera distinta la realidad