IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i24p16982-d1007211.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Four Perspectives on a Sustainable Future in Nosara, Costa Rica

Author

Listed:
  • Greg Munno

    (Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA)

  • Álvaro Salas Castro

    (INCAE Business School, La Garita, Alajuela 20113, Costa Rica)

  • Tina Nabatchi

    (Public Administration and International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA)

  • Christian M. Freitag

    (Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

Abstract

The town of Nosara on Costa Rica’s Nicoya peninsula is home to a vibrant community of diverse residents and is adjacent to an important turtle nesting site. However, tensions between lifelong residents, more recent transplants, visitors, and developers have increased as more of the world discovers this once-isolated haven. Climate change, income inequality, and alienation from a distant government apparatus have further complicated effective land-use planning and fractured social cohesion. Using a mixed-method approach of in-depth interviews ( n = 67), Q methodology ( n = 79), and public deliberation ( n = 88), we explored residents’ priorities for the future of their town. The results indicate four different perspectives on Nosara’s future. Despite the tensions among those four perspectives, they show consensus on one overarching community issue: the need for a sustainable development plan. The case also shows how Q-methodology can assist scholars and practitioners who embrace participatory approaches to policy development and conflict resolution in the environmental arena.

Suggested Citation

  • Greg Munno & Álvaro Salas Castro & Tina Nabatchi & Christian M. Freitag, 2022. "Four Perspectives on a Sustainable Future in Nosara, Costa Rica," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-23, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16982-:d:1007211
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16982/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16982/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Virgílio Machado & Joaquim Pinto Contreiras & Ana Patrícia Duarte, 2021. "Planning Tourism in Protected Natural Areas: Safety, Soft Law and Conflict Management between Beach Users. The Case of Surf in Aljezur, Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Norbert Kersting, 2021. "Participatory Democracy and Sustainability. Deliberative Democratic Innovation and Its Acceptance by Citizens and German Local Councilors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    3. Barry, John & Proops, John, 1999. "Seeking sustainability discourses with Q methodology," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 337-345, March.
    4. Huidong Sun & Mustafa Raza Rabbani & Naveed Ahmad & Muhammad Safdar Sial & Guping Cheng & Malik Zia-Ud-Din & Qinghua Fu, 2020. "CSR, Co-Creation and Green Consumer Loyalty: Are Green Banking Initiatives Important? A Moderated Mediation Approach from an Emerging Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Benoit Govoeyi & Jean-Baptiste De La Salle Tignégré & Felix Badolo & Paul Alhassan Zaato & Karamoko Sanogo & Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, 2022. "Perceptions on Sack Gardening in Rural Areas: The Case of Vegetable Stakeholders in Koutiala and Bougouni, Mali," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Martin Calisto Friant & Dirkjan Lakerveld & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Roberta Salomone, 2021. "Transition to a Sustainable Circular Plastics Economy in The Netherlands: Discourse and Policy Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-32, December.
    7. Jorge Morais & Rui Alexandre Castanho & Luis Loures & Carlos Pinto-Gomes & Pedro Santos, 2019. "Villagers’ Perceptions of Tourism Activities in Iona National Park: Locality as a Key Factor in Planning for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    8. Mingsen Wang & Jinbo Jiang & Songjun Xu & Yi Guo, 2021. "Community Participation and Residents’ Support for Tourism Development in Ancient Villages: The Mediating Role of Perceptions of Conflicts in the Tourism Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Buckwell, Andrew & Fleming, Christopher & Muurmans, Maggie & Smart, James & Mackey, Brendan, 2020. "Revealing the dominant discourses of stakeholders towards natural resource management in Port Resolution, Vanuatu, using Q-method," 2020 Conference (64th), February 12-14, 2020, Perth, Western Australia 305231, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    2. Ágnes Nemcsicsné Zsóka, 2007. "The role of organisational culture in the environmental awareness of companies," Journal of East European Management Studies, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 12(2), pages 109-131.
    3. Yana Us & Tetyana Pimonenko & Oleksii Lyulyov, 2023. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Renewable Energy Development for the Green Brand within SDGs: A Meta-Analytic Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Wang Hongxin & Mohammed Arshad Khan & Jian Zhenqiang & Laura-Mariana Cismaș & Mohammad Athar Ali & Usama Saleem & Lucia Negruț, 2022. "Unleashing the Role of CSR and Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior for Organizational Success: The Role of Connectedness to Nature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Sitara Karim & Mustafa Raza Rabbani & Mamunur Rashid & Zaheer Anwer, 2022. "COVID-19 Challenges and the Role of Islamic Fintech," Springer Books, in: M. Kabir Hassan & Mustafa Raza Rabbani & Mamunur Rashid (ed.), FinTech in Islamic Financial Institutions, pages 341-356, Springer.
    6. Elena Zepharovich & Michele Graziano Ceddia & Stephan Rist, 2020. "Land-Use Conflict in the Gran Chaco: Finding Common Ground through Use of the Q Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-16, September.
    7. Latvala, Terhi & Mandolesi, Serena & Nicholas, Phillipa & Zanoli, Raffaele, 2013. "Identifying Expectations for Innovations in Management Practices in Dairy Sector by Using Q Methodology," 2013 International European Forum, February 18-22, 2013, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 164734, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    8. Muhammad Asif, 2020. "Role of Energy Conservation and Management in the 4D Sustainable Energy Transition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-3, November.
    9. Davies, Ben B. & Hodge, Ian D., 2012. "Shifting environmental perspectives in agriculture: Repeated Q analysis and the stability of preference structures," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 51-57.
    10. Jaung, Wanggi & Putzel, Louis & Bull, Gary Q. & Kozak, Robert & Markum,, 2016. "Certification of forest watershed services: A Q methodology analysis of opportunities and challenges in Lombok, Indonesia," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(PA), pages 51-59.
    11. S. S. Ganji & A. N. Ahangar & Samaneh Jamshidi Bandari, 2022. "Evaluation of vehicular emissions reduction strategies using a novel hybrid method integrating BWM, Q methodology and ER approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11576-11614, October.
    12. Jan, Muhammad Zain & Ullah, Kafait & Abbas, Faisal & Khalid, Hassan Abdullah & Bajwa, Tariq M., 2023. "Barriers to the adoption of social welfare measures in the electricity tariff structure of developing countries: A case of Pakistan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Adriana Burlea-Schiopoiu & Ferjolt Ozuni, 2021. "The Potential of Albanian Tourism Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, April.
    14. Andrés Lorente de las Casas & Ivelina Mirkova & Francisco J. Ramos-Real, 2021. "Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Possible Energy Sustainability Solutions in the Hotels of the Canary Islands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-26, June.
    15. MingCan JI & Xing Zhang, 2024. "Assessing the Impacts and Mechanisms of Green Bond Financing on the Enhancement of Green Management and Technological Innovation in Environmental Conservation Enterprises," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 12709-12750, September.
    16. Serena Mandolesi & Emilia Cubero Dudinskaya & Simona Naspetti & Francesco Solfanelli & Raffaele Zanoli, 2022. "Freedom of Choice—Organic Consumers’ Discourses on New Plant Breeding Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    17. Sebastien Rojon & Jean-Benoit Pilet, 2021. "Engaged, Indifferent, Skeptical or Critical? Disentangling Attitudes towards Local Deliberative Mini-Publics in Four Western European Democracies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-19, September.
    18. Hall, Clare & Sandilands, Victoria, 2006. "Public Attitudes to the Welfare of Broiler Chickens," Working Papers 45998, Scotland's Rural College (formerly Scottish Agricultural College), Land Economy & Environment Research Group.
    19. Salih Çevikarslan & Carsten Gelhard & Jörg Henseler, 2022. "Improving the Material and Financial Circularity of the Plastic Packaging Value Chain in The Netherlands: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, June.
    20. Priya Kurian & Debashish Munshi & Lyn Kathlene & Jeanette Wright, 2016. "Sustainable citizenship as a methodology for engagement: navigating environmental, economic, and technological rationalities," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(3), pages 617-630, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16982-:d:1007211. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.