LNAK10083U Rural Livelihoods and Natural Resources Governance

The course is concerned with rural livelihoods in a developing country context, including the linkages between rural livelihoods and natural resources governance. The focus is on how rural livelihoods are constructed when capital assets are used in activities that generate livelihood outcomes. The focus will be on the five capital asset categories; physical, financial, natural, social and human, with a particular emphasis on natural capital assets. The course will illustrate how external factors, in particular natural resources governance regimes, affect rural peoples’ access to natural resources and, thereby, their livelihood strategies and outcomes. In addition to an overview of these subject areas, the course will focus on tools to understand and analyse rural livelihoods and linkages with natural resources management, as well as provide insights on how to critically assess and reflect on representations of livelihoods, natural resources, and governance regimes. In addition, students will gain in-depth understanding of a timely topic within the area of the course through a two-week intensive case study. The course emphasises that students are enabled to reflect critically on the complexity of livelihoods and natural resources governance relations.