Nexus Approaches: Advantages and Limitations

1/9/20230 min read

Nexus approaches are cross-disciplinary integrated frameworks for problem-solving which emphasize the interconnectivity and interdependence of challenges experienced across different sectors and scales.

Such perspectives, when employed in the sphere of global sustainable development, can be useful in revealing potential synergies and co-benefits of proposed measures (Liu et al 2018: 467); discovering potential negative trade-offs which could result from a course of action (Liu et al 2018: 467); revealing unexpected knock-on effects of certain policies (Liu et al 2018: 467-468); and leading to more ‘joined-up’ processes and structures of planning, decision-making, management, and government (Liu et al 2018: 468).

However, as a relatively young field, nexus approaches suffer from a number of limitations.

  • Given the wide and diverse range of individual and cross-sectoral expertise required, the implementation of nexus approaches can be difficult to organize, time-consuming, and cost-intensive (Liu et al 2018: 469).

  • Their applicability in global sustainable development is also curtailed by the hitherto severe lack of nexus studies on the linkages between specific Sustainable Development Goals (Liu et al 2018: 469).

  • Due to insufficient intermixing between sociopolitical and biophysical studies, there may also be doubts about the relevance of nexus frameworks to reality (Liu et al 2018: 469).

  • Existing nexus studies tend to emphasize the processes of one particular location or set of circumstances (Liu et al 2018: 469). However, such a methodology may lead to situations in which SDGs satisfied in one place are prejudiced in another (Liu et al 2018: 469); or worse, problems are not solved but instead transferred to another location or sector (Liu et al 2018: 473).

  • Current praxis of nexus approaches neglects the role of household dynamics as a key driver of demands for resources and environmental ramifications (Liu et al 2018: 472), and focuses disproportionately on land and freshwater systems to the exclusion of marine and coastal regions (Liu et al 2018: 472).

  • Nexus studies are also disadvantaged by a shortage of competent and exhaustive toolboxes to support the complex multi-scalar analyses involved (Liu et al 2018: 473).

Reference:

Liu, J., V. Hull, H.C.J. Godfray, D. Tilman, P. Gleick, H. Hoff, C. Pahl-Wostl, Z. Xu, M.G. Chung, J. Sun, and S. Li. (2018). ‘Nexus approaches to global sustainable development’. Nature Sustainability 1(9) 2018, pp.466–476.