Numbers, Commensuration and Governance in Environmental Impact Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52712/issn.1850-0013-495Keywords:
commensuration, numbers, environmental governance, development projectsAbstract
In this article we analyze the use of numbers and commensuration in an environmental impact study for a small hydroelectric power plant in Huila, Colombia. We show how value, equivalence calculations and commensuration processes between different value systems are implicit in the environmental impact definition, as well as associated compensations. Our conclusion is that a number differentiation process is essential to establish environmental governance, and in turn a field for anthropological research in development projects.
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