Conceptual and methodological challenges in the study of livelihood trajectories: case-studies in Eastern India and Western Nepal

The objective of this paper is to discuss the conceptual and methodological challenges posed by Livelihood Trajectory (LT) research. The discussion concludes that the LT approach forces inclusiveness, both conceptual (respect for multiple disciplines and development paradigms) and methodological (use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques). The LT approach also demands a great respect for context, including that of the research process itself, embedded as it always is within a distinctive set of constraints—social, cultural, political and financial. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.