Material Flow Analysis for Resource Management

This lecture introduces Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as a tool for bridging disciplines and policy making. It covers the need to improve the interpretation of MFA results, the importance of linking MFA with social science methods, and examples like pesticide use in Colombia and phosphorus management in Switzerland. The lecture explores how MFA results can be linked with the social system, focusing on regulatory mechanisms, agent analysis, and material flow analysis. It also discusses the necessity of analyzing actors in steering MFA systems and the utility of combining MFA with social science methods through examples. The lecture concludes by emphasizing the importance of considering scale and agent composition when selecting social science methods.