Archetype analysis in sustainability research : meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making
Oberlack, Christoph (University of Bern. Centre for Development and Environment (Switzerland))
Sietz, Diana (Wageningen University (The Netherlands))
Bonanomi, Elisabeth Bürgi (University of Bern. Centre for Development and Environment (Switzerland))
De Bremond, Ariane (University of Maryland. Geographical Sciences Department (USA))
Dell'Angelo, Jampel (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Eisenack, Klaus (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Department für Agrarökonomie)
Ellis, Erle C. (University of Maryland. Department of Geography and Environmental Systems (USA))
Epstein, Graham (University of Waterloo. Environmental Change and Governance Group (Canada))
David, M. (School of Sustainability. Arizona state University)
Giger, Markus (University of Bern. Centre for Development and Environment (Switzerland))
Heinimann, Andreas (University of Bern. Centre for Development and Environment (Switzerland))
Kimmich, Christian (Masaryk University. Department of Environmental Studies (Czechia))
Kok, Marcel T. J. (PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency)
Navarrete, David Manuel (Arizona state University (USA))
Messerli, Peter (University of Bern. Centre for Development and Environment (Switzerland))
Meyfroidt, Patrick (Université catholique de Louvain. Earth and Life Institute. Georges Lemaître Center for Earth and Climate Research (Belgium))
Václavík, Tomáš (Palacký University Olomouc. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (Czechia))
Villamayor Tomás, Sergio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2019
Abstract:	Archetypes are increasingly used as a methodological approach to understand recurrent patterns in variables and processes that shape the sustainability of social-ecological systems. The rapid growth and diversification of archetype analyses has generated variations, inconsistencies, and confusion about the meanings, potential, and limitations of archetypes. Based on a systematic review, a survey, and a workshop series, we provide a consolidated perspective on the core features and diverse meanings of archetype analysis in sustainability research, the motivations behind it, and its policy relevance. We identify three core features of archetype analysis: Recurrent patterns, multiple models, and intermediate abstraction. Two gradients help to apprehend the variety of meanings of archetype analysis that sustainability researchers have developed: (1) understanding archetypes as building blocks or as case typologies and (2) using archetypes for pattern recognition, diagnosis, or scenario development. We demonstrate how archetype analysis has been used to synthesize results from case studies, bridge the gap between global narratives and local realities, foster methodological interplay, and transfer knowledge about sustainability strategies across cases. We also critically examine the potential and limitations of archetype analysis in supporting evidence-based policy making through context-sensitive generalizations with case-level empirical validity. Finally, we identify future priorities, with a view to leveraging the full potential of archetype analysis for supporting sustainable development.
Grants:	European Commission 677140
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Archetype ; Land systems ; Social-ecological system ; Sustainability ; Vulnerability
Published in:	Ecology and society, Vol. 24, Issue 2 (July 2019) , art. 26, ISSN 1708-3087

DOI: 10.5751/ES-10747-240226

19 p, 449.6 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles