Arvai, JosephKenney, Lisa2015-02-092015-06-232015-02-092015Kenney, L. (2015). Improving Decision-Making For Energy And Carbon Management: Descriptive And Prescriptive Insights (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26487http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2093Decisions in developing communities that focus on the human-environment interface—like energy development and delivery, and climate change mitigation—are inherently complex. These decisions must contend with significant technical challenges and uncertainties, while at the same time, these decisions often need to meet linked social, economic and environmental objectives. Research in the decision sciences finds that when faced with difficult decisions, like those involving energy or climate change, people struggle with articulating their values, and with making necessary tradeoffs across objectives. This can result in sub-optimal decision outcomes that fail to adequately address stakeholders’ concerns. The research presented in this thesis applies theories and methods from the decision sciences to two contexts related to development decisions: creating an energy strategy Canada’s Northwest Territories; and climate change mitigation via forest-based carbon management in Vietnam. This body of research has two interrelated aims: 1) to assess the ability of existing decision science approaches to improve the effectiveness of development programs, projects and policies; and 2) to assess how decision science approaches might help to also address critiques of, as well as complement, existing development approaches.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Education--Social SciencesGeographyPsychology--Socialdecision-makingEnergyclimate changedoctoral thesis10.11575/PRISM/26487