Sustaining the ‘Good Life’: Buen Vivir as an alternative to sustainable development

This article analyses the ways the Latin American concept of Buen Vivir has been discussed by postdevelopment scholars as a possible alternative to development that goes beyond the traditional anthropocentric development model towards sustainability and wellbeing. Instituted as a reaction to the need for development to consider the biophysical limits of the environment, sustainable development (SD) critics argue that it has not achieved its aims of ensuring social wellbeing and protecting the world’s natural resources for future generations. There is now an impetus towards alternatives to the status quo. Rather than becoming a radically opposing ideology, Buen Vivir provides the opportunity to meet the core aims of SD through a plural, yet alternative approach. This conceptual article is a critical review of academic, policy and popular discourse on the concept of Buen Vivir as an alternative to development. It analyses its strengths and weaknesses as an alternative to SD discourse, examining its core principles and contested definitions, discussing its viability to translate from an emergent alternative discourse to a plural and practical resource for communities to achieve the common aims for sustainability and wellbeing.