After studying the SA skills course the students are able to:
* Apply some widely-used methods/tools of sustainability assessment;
* Discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and pitfalls of these methods/tools;
* Reflect on the contribution of the methods/tools to a sustainability assessment.

Sustainable development is a future oriented multidimensional process of change that requires an ongoing debate in science, policy and society. Participation is therefore an important condition for policymaking in pursuit of sustainable development. Without participation no sustainable development, is the common opinion. However, what is participation and how can it be used in policymaking? How to organise and facilitate a participatory process? Who should be involved in such a process? What methods and tools can be used? These questions among others will be discussed and practiced in this Skills course.

Compulsory literature https://lithgow-schmidt.dk/sherry-arnstein/ladder-of-citizen-participation_en.pdf Originally published as Arnstein, Sherry R. "A Ladder of Citizen Participation," JAIP, Vol. 35, No. 4, July 1969, pp. 216-224. The article is quite old, but never-the-less of great value to anyone interested in issues of citizen participation. Be aware that the vocabulary used in the article refers very much to the situation in the United States in the 1960s. In 2022 it can be considered quite offending. - Reed, M. (2008) Stakeholder participation for environmental management: a literature review. Biological Conservation 141: 2417-2431. Doi: 10.1016/l.biocon.2008.07.014 http://www.comap.ca/kmland/display.php?ID=250&DISPOP=VRCPR - Reed, M., Graves, A., Dandy, N. Posthumus, H. , Hubacek, K., Morris, J., Prell, C., Quinn, C., Stringer, L. (2009) Who’s in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management. Journal of environmental management 90: 1933-1949. Doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.01.001 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479709000024 Further reading - HarmoniCOP, Learning together to manage together. Improving Participation in water management (see http://ecologic.eu/1625) - B.A. van Asselt Marjolein, Nicole Rijkens-Klomp (2002), A look in the mirror: reflection on participation in Integrated Assessment from a methodological perspective, Global Environmental Change 12 (2002) 167–184, Elsevier - Participation Handbook for humanitarian field workers (ALNAP) http://www.urd.org/IMG/pdf/MP_GB_CHAPITRE1.pdf - Biodiversa handbook for stakeholder engagement: http://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCoQFjABahUKEwi-6qSY1tPIAhXCWxQKHV4YA8c&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biodiversa.org%2F698%2Fdownload&usg=AFQjCNH-GtIIf8RMr9nyruyjloiHgAgPZQ&sig2=KjUwkzpIyXZ4yvqD8EUH6g - Journal: http://www.iied.org/natural-resources/key-issues/empowerment-and-land-rights/participatory-learning-and-action

Exchange students should refer to the International Relations Office via email in case they would like to register for this course: iro-incoming-sbe@maastrichtuniversity.nl. Only limited spots available, first-come first-serve principle.