The Governance of Sustainable Development: Taking Stock and Looking Forwards

Abstract

The number of books and papers bearing the terms`sustainable development' and`governance' in their titles has grown exponentially in the last decade or so. The main purpose of this paper is to explore what meanings have been attached to these two essentially contested terms and to assess the extent to which the material on them constitutes an important, coherent, and cumulative body of scholarship. The first half explores the existing literatures on the two terms, and draws out some of the main similarities and differences. Drawing on papers that have been published in this journal over the last decade or so, the second half focuses on the attempts that have been made to build empirical and/or theoretical bridges between the two terms. The concluding section identifies a number of key themes and explores future research needs in what is evidently a vibrant and highly policy-relevant area of environmental social science research.

Joining up or Pulling Apart? The Use of Appraisal to Coordinate Policy Making for Sustainable Development

“…There is increasing international recognition that the pursuit of sustainable development requires more coordinated approaches to policy making and hence different ways of governing (see, for example, Adger and Jordan, 2008;Jordan, 2008;OECD, 2002a). Indeed, many European Union member states have developed formalised coordination strategies to deliver more sustainable development (Jordan and Lenschow, 2008).…”

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development: Forty Years in the Making

“…At a very basic level, sustainable development is seen to rest on the three environmental, economic, and social pillars-the 'triple bottom line' for human well-being (Jordan, 2008;Lele, 1991;Sachs, 2012). The UN conferences have paid varying levels of attention to the three pillars as well as to specific topics within each of them.…”

Scalar Politics and Local Sustainability: Rethinking Governance and Justice in an Era of Political and Environmental Change

“…Other levels of the state create policy which local states must accord with, or make decisions [such as energy supply (see Gustavsson et al, 2009)] which shape local sustainability governance (Bruff and Wood, 2000;Haughton and While, 1999;Jordan, 2008;Paehlke, 2000). Furthermore, particularly in the Global South, capacity limitations have resulted in the participation (and often dominance) of nonlocal actors in Local Agenda 21.…”