Fair and Inclusive Environmental and Social Transition Alternatives – Information regarding data deposited

Karen Bell, ESRC Future Research Leader Fellow, University of West of England

BACKGROUND

The FIESTA project ran from 15th February 2016 to 14th February 2019. It addressed the question of how to carry out an equitable, just and effective transition to a sustainable society. It has provided evidence and analysis which can inform current social science debates regarding the relative usefulness and role of markets/governments, economic growth/de-growth, structures/agents and technology/politics to achieve balanced social, economic and environmental goals. The environmental/social paradigms, 'Green Economy' and 'Living Well' approaches were investigated and contrasted. They were examined in terms of their relative merits for enabling sustainable development goals to be met, according to the new, post-2015, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN, 2014).

The project assessed the efficacy, efficiency, equitability, political acceptability, administrative viability and transferability of the two contrasting environmental/social transition pathways/paradigms through (1) secondary analysis of relevant international, longitudinal (2000-2016), country-level quantitative datasets; and (2) primary collection and analysis of relevant qualitative data in South Korea (a recognised international leader of the Green Economy approach) and Bolivia (at the forefront of developing the Living Well approach).

The work involved analyzing secondary data derived from SDG relevant longitudinal statistical data from a range of sources; interviewing 84 stakeholders in Bolivia and South Korea (i.e. policy-beneficiaries, policy-makers, policy-implementers); and participatory observations in four communities (one rural, one urban in each country). 

Most of the interviews were video recorded and interviewees signed consent forms for selected parts of the videos to be made public. However, these recordings are not deposited here since they contain some confidential information. The edited videos can be found at www.karenbell.org. Only the transcripts are deposited here so that any confidential information could be removed and they could be anonymized, in particular when they referred to personal details about other people. Some interviewees requested complete anonymity so their interview transcripts will not be deposited here. They are listed below. The questions are not included in all the transcripts but they were similar for all interviewees and are listed in a separate document.

The transcripts are listed below with dates given for the interview. They are all translated into English from the original language. The transcripts archived here are listed labelled as follows:

Interviews in Bolivia (48) 
1-111216 - 11/12/16 – Local Coordinator of a voluntary organisation in Cochabamba 
2-251216 - 25/12/16 – Member of community group
3-281216- 28/12/16 - Members of Social Cultural Centre
4-030117 - 3/1/17 – Representative of MAS (Movemiento Al Socialismo – ruling party), Cochabamba Department
5-040117- 4/1/17 – Academic and coordinator of water project
6-050117- 5/1/17 – Manager in Planning and Environment Directorate, Cochabamba Council
7-060117- 6/1/17 – Manager in Sustainable Development, Cochabamba Council
8-070116- 7/1/17 – Members of community organisation
9-090117- 9/1/17 - Environmental sociologist
10-120117- 12/1/17 – Campaigner
11-130117- 13/1/17 – Activist
12-190117- 14/1/17 –Artist
13-200117- 20/1/17 – Resident, La Paz (trade unionist)
14-200117- 20/1/17 –CONFIDENTIAL
15-200117- 20/1/17 –  Video Producer, La Paz
16-220117- CONFIDENTIAL
17-220117- 22/1/17 – Manager in “Bartolina Sisa”, Federation of Indigenous Campesino Women, La Paz Department
18-220117- 22/1/17 – CONFIDENTIAL
19-270117- 28/1/17 – Manager in National “Bartolina Sisa”, Federation of Campesino Women
20-100217- 10/2/17 – Members of campaign group
21-110217 - 11/2/17 – Member of campaign group
22-130217- 13/2/17 – Academic
23-130217- 13/2/17 – Director of National Programme
24-150217- 15/2/17 – Project Coordinator 
25-150217- 15/2/17 – Manager in Confederation of Campesino Workers Trade Union,  Cochabamba 
26-150217- 15/2/17 – Activist
27-150217- 15/2/17 – Teachers
28-160217- 16/2/17 –  Resident Tarata
29-160217- 16/2/17 – Resident Tarata
30-160217- 16/2/17 – Managers, Federation of Indigenous Campesino Women Bartolina Sisa, Tarata
31-160217 - 16/2/17 – Federation of Indigenous Campesino Women Bartolina Sisa, Tarata
32-160217 - 16/2/17 – MAS, Youth Section
33-160217-  16/2/17 – Manager, Youth Section, MAS

Interviews in South Korea 
Interviews (36)
01GP300817 -30/08/17 - Campaigner, Greenpeace East Asia
02HS310817 - 31/08/17 - Researcher, Seoul National University
03 - 05/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL 
04 - 01/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
05GKU060917 - 06/09/17 Green Korea United
06MOE060917 - 06/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
07CME070917 - 07/09/17 Citizen’s Movement for Environmental Justice
08GSE070917 - 07/09/17 Professor, Seoul National University
09JHV080917 - 08/09/17 Resident Gyeonggi-Do
10 08/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
11KEI080917 - 08/09/17 Korea Environment Institute, Government of RoK
12HDEV080917 - 08/09/17 Resident Chungcheong
13 08/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
14 08/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
15 08/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
16MCYP090917 - 09/09/17 Seoul resident 1
17MCP090917 - 09/09/17 Seoul resident 2
18MC090917 - 09/09/17 Seoul resident 3
19COCF110917 - 11/09/17 Coalition for Our Common Future 
20UNSDSN120917 - 12/09/17 UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Korea
21UNPOG120917 - 12/09/17 UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG)
22EPCI140917 - 14/09/17 Energy and Climate Policy Institute (Just Transitions)
23KFEM150917 - 15/09/17 Korean Federation of Environment Movement
24 16/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
25 16/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
26 16/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
27 16/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL 
28 16/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL 
29BR170917 - 17/09/17 Busan resident 6
30BR170917 - 17/09/17 Busan resident 7
31NN170917 - 17/09/17 ‘No Nukes’, Busan 
32NN170917 - 17/09/17 ‘No Nukes’, Busan
33JP170917 - 17/09/17 Justice Party, Busan
34KCTU190917 - 19/09/17 Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
35IDHS190917 – 19/09/17 Institute for Development and Human Security
36 – 17/09/17 CONFIDENTIAL
Key Research Questions – Bolivia
1.	What, for you, is the most important aspect of 'Living Well' and why?
2.	What is your role in regard to Living Well?
3.	Do you think it is important to have a definition or a fixed vision of Living Well?
4.	How is Living Well as a policy in Bolivia currently being implemented?
5.	To what extent is it a top down or bottom up approach?
6.	Do you think it is difficult for people to integrate the different dimensions of Living Well?
7.	Are there barriers to the understanding and implementation of Living Well?
8.	Can the implementation of Living Well be evaluated in a formal sense and, if so, how?
9.	How would you respond to the criticisms that Living Well is nothing more than a discourse because the Bolivian government is essentially extractivist and developmentalist in the Western sense?
10.	How would you respond to criticisms that Living Well is vague and meaningless or, on the other hand, is too fixed and not open to debate?
11.	What is your opinion about the Green Economy as a solution to the current environmental, social and economic crisis?
12.	Would you say that Living Well could be an alternative solution to current environmental, social and economic crises?
13.	Can Living Well be a policy model for other countries, including high-income countries?
14.	Is there anything else you would like to say?

Key Research Questions – Korea
1.	Please tell me briefly about the background of [your organisation] and how you got involved with it.
2.	What is your understanding of the concepts of Green Growth and Green Economy?
3.	How do you think each relates to sustainable development?
4.	How is Green Economy as a policy in Bolivia currently being implemented?
5.	Do you think GG and GE are useful strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or sustainability, more generally?
6.	What do you think are the problems associated with GG and GE?
7.	What do you think are their impacts on environmental justice?
8.	Are there any particular policies related to GG and GE that concern you e.g. nuclear, GM?
9.	Do you think GG and GE should be implemented in Korea and internationally?
10.	Are you aware of other strategies/paradigms, such as Living Well/Vivir Bien (Bolivia) and ecolological civilization (China)?
11.	Do you think they would be successful in Korea?
12.	What do you think are the most important policies for achieving the SDGs?
13.	Would you say that Green Economy could be an alternative solution to current environmental, social and economic crises?
14.	Can Green Economy be a policy model for other countries, including high-income countries?
15.	Is there anything else you would like to say?