Provisioning systems for a good life within planetary boundaries

The concept of provisioning systems has recently emerged as a promising way to understand the differences between levels of resource use and social outcomes observed across societies. However, the characteristics of provisioning systems remain poorly understood. Here, we make a new contribution to conceptualising provisioning systems and to understanding differences in the resource efficiency with which they achieve social outcomes. We define a provisioning system as a set of related elements that work together in the transformation of resources to satisfy a foreseen human need. We analyse six theories in terms of their contribution to understanding provisioning systems within the biophysical and social constraints of Raworth’s “Safe and Just Space” framework. We find that most of these theories fail to prioritise human needs and well-being, and do not incorporate explicit environmental limits. However, they provide important insights that we draw upon to identify six important provisioning system elements (households, markets, the commons, the state, techniques, and material stocks). Based on the theories, we also identify two important relationships between elements, namely feedbacks and power relations. We further propose the concept of “appropriating systems” as a component of provisioning systems. Appropriating systems reduce the resource efficiency of human well-being via rent extraction, and act as a barrier to meeting human needs at a sustainable level of resource use. We combine these concepts into a new framework, and discuss applications to energy systems

»Hope dies – Action begins«

"Hope dies - action begins" - this is the motto of the new global environmental movement "Extinction Rebellion" (XR). XR wants to make us all aware of finally taking radical measures against the gigantic species extinction and climate catastrophe. This book features XR activists who explain XR claims, XR principles & values ​​and XR actions from their own point of view. This is intended to encourage readers to engage with this movement and its goals. XR means rebellion for life

»Hope dies – Action begins«

"Hope dies - action begins" - this is the motto of the new global environmental movement "Extinction Rebellion" (XR). XR wants to make us all aware of finally taking radical measures against the gigantic species extinction and climate catastrophe. This book features XR activists who explain XR claims, XR principles & values ​​and XR actions from their own point of view. This is intended to encourage readers to engage with this movement and its goals. XR means rebellion for life.»Hope dies – Action begins« – so lautet das Motto der neuen weltweiten Umweltbewegung »Extinction Rebellion« (XR). XR will uns alle dafür sensibilisieren, endlich radikale Maßnahmen gegen das gigantische Artensterben und die Klimakatastrophe zu ergreifen. In diesem Buch kommen XR-Aktivist*innen zu Wort, die XR-Forderungen, XR-Prinzipien & Werte und XR-Aktionen aus ihrer je eigenen Sichtweise erläutern. Dadurch sollen Leser*innen ermutigt werden, sich mit dieser Bewegung und ihren Zielen auseinanderzusetzen. XR bedeutet Rebellion für das Leben

The tree of participation: A new model for inclusive decision-making

Community development often involves organizing participatory decision-making processes. The challenge is for this to be meaningful. Participatory decision-making has the potential to increase the transparency, accountability, equity and efficiency with which public administration serves the least privileged in society. However, in practice, it often fails to bring about these outcomes. A number of academics and practitioners have, therefore, theorized how participatory decision-making processes can better empower marginalized groups. By critically reviewing this body of work and empirically grounding the debate in recent practice, we aimed to develop a theoretically rigorous, easily applicable and holistic model of an inclusive participatory decision-making process that can work across a range of contexts. The empirical strand included surveying public engagement organisers and participants about the participatory events they had organized or attended. These empirical findings were combined with insights from the theoretical literature to devise a new conceptual model of emancipatory, inclusive and empowering participatory decision-making – the ‘Tree of Participation’ (ToP). The model can be useful to, both organisers of participatory processes, as a check for empowering and inclusive practice, and to disadvantaged groups, as a set of expectations and demands when engaging in public decision-making