Perspectives are reasoned viewpoints based on evidence, experience, values and interests. The report must explain at least one global perspective and one local or national perspective, supported by relevant information.
Learning Objectives
By The End Of This Lesson, You Should Be Able To
- Distinguish a perspective from an unsupported opinion.
- Identify stakeholder groups and the reasons behind their viewpoints.
- Explain one local or national perspective and one global perspective.
- Compare perspectives fairly and with empathy.
- Use evidence to support the analysis of each perspective.
What A Perspective Includes
A perspective is more than a statement of support or opposition. It includes a viewpoint, the reasons supporting it, the evidence used, and the values, experiences or interests that shape it. Two people may view the same evidence differently because they prioritise different outcomes, face different risks or trust different institutions.
Opinion And Perspective
Opinion: Tourism is good.
Perspective: Local hotel owners may support tourism growth because it creates employment and demand for services. They may use visitor-spending data as evidence and prioritise economic opportunity, while still favouring controls that protect the destination’s reputation.
Identifying Stakeholders
Stakeholders are people, groups or institutions affected by the issue or able to influence it. They may include residents, workers, consumers, businesses, governments, researchers, civil-society organisations, international bodies and future generations. Avoid using country names as if everyone within a country shares one view.
Within one national perspective there may be disagreement between ministries, political parties, regions, industries and social groups. A strong report selects meaningful perspectives rather than forcing all stakeholders into two simple sides.
Local Or National Perspective
A local perspective may come from a community, municipality, school, business group or affected population. A national perspective may be expressed through government policy, national data, public debate or major national institutions. The report should explain why this perspective exists and support it with evidence relevant to that context.
Local evidence can reveal practical effects hidden by global averages. For example, a national renewable-energy policy may be welcomed for reducing imports but opposed by a community that faces land loss. Both perspectives can be valid because they focus on different levels and consequences.
Global Perspective
A global perspective considers the issue across countries or from an international institution, network or movement. It may focus on shared principles, cross-border consequences, global data or collective action. Examples include a United Nations agency’s public-health perspective, an international labour federation’s worker-rights perspective, or a multinational industry association’s market perspective.
Do not assume the global perspective is automatically more objective. International organisations also have mandates, values, funding structures and limitations. Their evidence must be evaluated like any other source.
Explaining Why Perspectives Differ
- Different material interests, costs and benefits.
- Different cultural, moral or religious values.
- Different levels of exposure to risk.
- Different access to information or expertise.
- Different time horizons, such as immediate jobs versus long-term environmental protection.
- Different political responsibilities or legal duties.
- Different levels of trust in institutions.
- Different experiences of the issue.
Explaining these reasons shows empathy and analysis. It does not require agreement with every perspective. A writer can understand why a perspective exists while still judging that its evidence or reasoning is weak.
A Structure For Perspective Paragraphs
Perspective Analysis Frame
- Identify the stakeholder and viewpoint precisely.
- Explain the reasons, values or interests behind the viewpoint.
- Present and cite evidence used to support it.
- Analyse the reasoning connecting the evidence to the conclusion.
- Recognise limitations, internal variation or conditions.
- Compare the perspective with another viewpoint and link to the research question.
Comparing Rather Than Listing
Weak reports present Perspective A and Perspective B as separate summaries. Strong reports compare the assumptions, evidence and priorities behind them. For example, an industry group may measure success through cost and innovation, while a public-health group measures success through reduced exposure and equal protection. Their disagreement may result from different definitions of effectiveness rather than completely different facts.
Represent Perspectives Fairly
Use neutral language and avoid caricature. Do not describe a group as greedy, ignorant or emotional unless a source provides credible evidence relevant to the argument. Select the strongest reasonable version of each perspective. This creates a more demanding and trustworthy comparison.
When a stakeholder source makes a claim, distinguish the group’s perspective from established fact. Phrases such as “the association argues,” “residents report,” or “the ministry’s position is” make attribution clear.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Using two sources that express the same stakeholder perspective.
- Assuming local means personal opinion and global means international statistics.
- Presenting viewpoints without reasons or supporting evidence.
- Treating an entire country, religion, age group or profession as having one opinion.
- Judging perspectives only by whether they agree with the writer.
- Ignoring values and interests that explain disagreement.
- Confusing a source with a perspective; one source may contain several perspectives, and several sources may support one perspective.
Quick Practice
Perspective Map
Create a map with at least four stakeholder groups. For each, record viewpoint, main reason, supporting evidence, value or interest, and one possible limitation. Mark which perspective is local or national and which is global.
