Anthony J. Bebbington

Leader in environmental and development scholarship incorporating the roles of social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society in shaping the outcomes between resource use-extraction and environmental and human well-being. Through field research and participation with major development agencies and NGOs (in the Andes and Indonesia), with colleagues, demonstrated the conditions and structures of indigenous organizations that make them effective agents for transmitting information and technology. Leading various research and development teams, showed that “peasant” livelihoods must be understood as combined cultural and productive strategies, and that their attendant organizations are used for both political expression and livelihood enhancement. Was the first to show how the concept of social capital could be operationalized for environment-development application, influencing the way the World Bank invests in projects. Research fostered use of a theory of transnationalism, agency, and networks to examine the role of NGOs in affecting environment-development outcomes and informed policy decisions in Peru and Ecuador, prompting rethinking of policy and programs within the Inter-American Foundation, and the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization.