Sustainability as a Conceptual Focus for Public Administration

Abstract

Th is article argues that sustainability should defi ne the conceptual focus for the fi eld of public administration in the coming decade. Sustainability involves three systems: environmental, economic, and political/social systems. Th e challenge of governance, and thus of public administration, is to sustain each of these systems on its own while maintaining an appropriate balance among them. Th e article defi nes the sustainability concept, and its environmental component in particular, in ways that are relevant to public administration; assesses the validity of the concept in terms of the interrelationships and interdependencies among the three systems; and suggests the implications for the fi eld. By integrating knowledge and study of the environmental system with the traditional competence in the political/social and economic systems that is expected in the fi eld, public administrators may achieve a more theoretically complete and empirically valid foundation for education, research, and practice.

Sustainability, Ethics, and Aesthetics

“…Proponents of the multidimensional view of sustainability generally identify three main dimensions of this concept -environmental, economic, and social (or sociopolitical) (Budd, et al, 2008;Dale, 2001;Edwards & Onyx, 2007;Fiorino, 2010;Nurse, 2008;Tubadji, 2010), -and some also add the technological aspect of sustainability (Hasna, 2007). For example, Edwards and Onyx attempt to reconcile three imperatives: the ecological imperative to live within global biophysical carrying capacity; the social imperative to ensure the development of democratic systems of governance to effectively promote public values; and the economic imperative to ensure that basic needs are met worldwide (Edwards&Onyx, 2007).…”

The Role of Public Transport in Society—A Case Study of General Policy Documents in Sweden

“…It has also been suggested that sustainability can be considered as a guiding principle in public management [4] or as a conceptual focus for public administration [31]. Sustainability initiatives and studies have long focused on cities and urban areas, with studies of American cities finding that "local sustainability is tied to local governments' need to deal with environmental pressures and the characteristics of local governance" [4] (p. 841).…”

Sustentabilidade urbana e o desenvolvimento da cidade de São Francisco (EUA)

“…DRd -Desenvolvimento Regional em debate (ISSNe 2237-9029) v. 7, n. 1, p. 214-235, maio 2017. Na área de Planejamento Urbano e Regional/Demografia, bem como na Administração Pública, os problemas urbanos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável podem ser resumidos em quatro áreas de possível insustentabilidade: serviços urbanos escassos, a degradação ambiental, escassez de recursos naturais e conflitos sociais (FIORINO, 2010;WEI et al, 2015).…”