Using the GSA Framework | International Environment Forum

By Steve Bosserman, 26 January, 2024

Steve Bosserman's Blog
Log in or register to post comments

Since my first and last post to IEF nearly a year and a half ago, I have taken on several projects related to the rapidly emerging Digital Age 1 we’re advancing into. Among those is a comprehensive revision and update of a book I co-authored in 2011, Together We Can. In it, we are appealing to several “case studies” to illustrate the points we want to emphasize in the expanded edition. Among those is Global Solidarity Accounting.

We hypothesize that for people to change their behaviors and contribute to social systems supporting these desired changes, they must have a framework of indicators and measures that help them keep the vision in sight and stick to their purpose. The three accounts and accompanying nine dimensions of Global Solidarity Accounting provide such a framework.

We aim to apply the GSA framework to other case studies we are pursuing in our project portfolio. This is a three-step process: first, clarify the terminology Arthur L. Dahl and other IEF members wrote in defining and describing the GSA framework; second, illustrate how people can apply the accounts and dimensions in their day-to-day activities and decisions; and third, incorporate the framework into the activities associated with other case studies in the portfolio.

The bulk of the text we post for review draws upon the power of digital tools, such as AI Chatbots 2, in our research and drafts. In keeping with the Digital Age we are in, we are transparent about our methodology: this is what we’re curious about (seek truth), these are the steps we have taken (show work), and these are the results (share outcomes).

We hope readers feel encouraged to engage freely with this technology and dig deeply into whatever topics interest them. Modify our prompts, or write your own. Submit prompts to the AI chatbots we use, or choose your own. Investigate the interrelationships among our topics, or strike out on your own. Also, feedback is always welcome! Let us know about your experiences and what you’re learning.

To start, I will make a series of posts that clarify terms for the three accounts/nine dimensions of GSA and offer ways people can apply them in their daily lives. They will be cross-posted between blogs on the IEF and GAVNet websites. The webpage “Case Studies” links sections and related categories for each account/dimension as it is posted. The first topic will be carbon (energy).