A Micro Perspective: Elaborating Demographic Contributions to the Livelihoods Framework

This chapter offers a review of micro perspectives, or explanations, about the relationship between population and environment dynamics. The chapter reviews classic to contemporary micro perspectives in the demography and environment literature. Notably, as theoretical perspectives have evolved, there has been a forging of linkages to a livelihoods framework which has also come to the fore over the last decades in both applied and scholarly efforts around sustainable development. In the remainder of the chapter, using a livelihoods framework as an organizing lens, the chapter demonstrates the valuable contributions of demographic theory and evidence for a livelihoods framework. Specifically, demographic theorizing and evidence provide some conceptual insights on how to unpack and elaborate livelihood strategies – a key conceptual link within the framework. The conclusion of the chapter indicates how a revised and elaborated livelihood framework might serve to propel a future research agenda that can both address micro perspectives and account for macro linkages for the larger population and environment research agenda.