Synergistic configurations of livelihood capital drive pastoralist well-being: evidence from Tibetan Plateau, China

Grassland governance has shifted from a primary focus on ecological restoration toward greater attention to pastoralists’ well-being. Against this background, subjective well-being (SWB) has become a core indicator for assessing livelihood outcomes in pastoral regions. Using survey data from 163 pastoral households in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, this study applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify multiple pathways through which livelihood capital configurations generate high SWB. It further examines how these configurations vary across three community types exposed to distinct grazing management intensities. Results show a mean SWB score of 0.659, with 55.21% of households reporting moderate to high SWB. The grazing community records the highest SWB (0.721), while the stall-feeding community reports the lowest (0.608). Three equivalent pathways to high SWB are identified at the full sample level, in which natural and social capital serve as core conditions. In grazing communities, natural and social capital form the dominant synergistic configuration, reflecting strong ecological dependence and cohesive social ties. Under stricter grazing controls, mixed-feeding and stall-feeding households rely more on human and physical capital. Financial capital plays a limited role in all configurations, suggesting systemic constraints including low financial literacy and inadequate institutional access. These findings offer empirical evidence for context-specific pathways to improving household well-being and provide a flexible, place-based framework for sustainable rural development in ecologically fragile regions.