Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets: section 6

Comparing sustainable livelihoods to other development approaches

This is the sixth in a series of seven guidance sheets on sustainable livelihoods. This section explores the relationship between the SL approach and other development ideologies, approaches and tools and suggests where the SL approach may add value. Understanding the links can improve the scope for collaboration and synergy between colleagues and development partners who have different standpoints.

The selected approaches, representing the spectrum of current social, economic, political, and multidisciplinary perspectives, include:

country-level development strategies (section 6.2)
medium-term expenditure frameworks (section 6.3)
rights-based approaches (section 6.4)
governance approaches (section 6.5)
sector-wide approaches (section 6.6)

The following key questions are asked of each approach:

what are the core principles of the approach?
by what process is it developed and applied?
what does it share with the SL approach, or what conceptual gaps exist?
what added value (if any) can SL approaches bring to the formulation of the approach?
how can SL principles be incorporated into the formulation of the approach, or what needs to
be done in order to bring the two approaches together?

The paper concludes that development concepts are, by their very nature, evolving ways of combining different approaches into a concerted development intervention. This part of the guidance sheets provides a snapshot of current understanding. It also shows how practice of the livelihoods approach is already demonstrating ways in which it can support and complement other approaches, and these are highlighted as case studies.

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Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets: section 6