Seb O’Connor

I am an inter-disciplinary Ecological Economist focused on how we can democratise decision-making more effecitvely and more radically at the 'economy-environment' nexus. I am particularly interested in value pluralism and how pluralistic approaches to valuation can facilitate more socially and ecologically just decision-making. I draw especially on the field of political ecology to inform my research practices and to better understand the barriers as well as opportunities for meaninful participation in environmental decision-making. A large part of this research rests in challenging technocratic approaches to environmental governance. As such, I have also developped a critical interest in the role of institutions in shaping people-nature relationships and how such institutions can change to be better able to listen to and respond to the planetary crisis. For instance, during my PhD - Living Well with Water - I explored the potential for social values to facilitate sustainability transitions from a local community level to an institutional level in the context of Flood Risk Management. Working at the intersections of economy-environment-democracy means I am always looking to collaborate and draw upon thinking from a wide range of disciplines, from across the Environmental Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, Geography, Psychology and Anthropology. I largely focus on qualitative methods from participatory research approaches through to ethnography and arts-based methods.