The role of values in shaping sustainable development perspectives and outcomes: A case study of Iceland

Abstract

Sustainability is conceptualized as a process of balancing growth, equity, and preservation, a definition that is drawn from the 1987 Brundtland Commission report, Our Common Future. While making sustainability a universal objective, this definition conceptualizes sustainability as a one-size fits all technocratic solution, which removes the concept from the context of specific societies that must engage with sustainable development. Social scientific data about the nature of values, where they come from, with whom they resonate, and what goals for conservation and development they establish are equally necessary for the understanding and framing of sustainability. Policies are more effective if they are embedded in the value systems they engage. Drawing on a case study of Iceland this study examines the nature of values in shaping sustainable outcomes. We argue that regulative, normative, cultural, and cognitive institutional structures are in constant interaction with value systems and sustainability conceptions. We find that institutional structures and prosustainability values are mutually reinforcing: institutional structures and place amplify value orientation. In turn, values influence the orientation of status-quo institutional structures. Working with interview data and using a grounded theory approach, we build a model for understanding how sustainability is conceptualized in Iceland working from values through agents and industrial bases to generate strategies of development. Icelanders operationalize concepts of sustainability through innovations that improve the efficiency and preservation of natural resources. Our findings add additional layers to conventional pathways of valuation and demonstrate the importance of place and context in situating values of development.

Promotional Activities of Selected National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) in the Light of Sustainable Tourism (Including Sustainable Transport)

“…Thanks to their activities, the image of those tourist destinations with outstanding sustainable potential is strengthened in the minds of tourists, and thus they contribute to those countries gaining a competitive advantage over other destinations in the world. Similar conclusions have been reached by researchers such as Garay et al [79] (p. 418), who analyzed the positioning of tourism businesses operating in Catalonia, Spain, with sustainable tourism offers; Eskerod et al [80], who investigated the hotel sector using new lighting technologies to achieve sustainability goals; and Knox-Hayes et al [81], who investigated the sustainability model applied in Iceland, also in terms of tourism potential.…”

Tourism towards Sustainability and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Technological innovation (cluster 1), firms' contributions in developing countries (cluster 2), non-financial reporting (cluster 3), and education for SDGs (cluster 4) are recognized as the main four interrelated research themes of SDGs applied in the business sector, through a bibliometric approach and SLR methods examined extensively [22]. Knox-Hayes, Chandra, and Chun [7] proposed an analytical sustainability model applied in Iceland, through sustainable values and consisting of six major categories, namely: values (social and cultural value, value of natural and human capital, and value of future generations), agents (the government, businesses, NGOs and the general public), industries (fisheries, tourism, agriculture, renewable energy and technology, and services), challenges (meaning, awareness, and threats), opportunities (vision, development, and social change), and strategies (education, optimizing, adaptative planning, innovation, and green technologies). In turn, these authors found that values are fundamental for sustainable development as well as for being socially and environmentally interactive.…”

“…Sustainable tourism issues require special attention and have been addressed by several studies (e.g., [5,6]). Knox-Hayes, Chandra, and Chun [7] (p. 1) state that" sustainability is not a fixed endpoint, but rather a constantly evolving process of negotiation within and across societies".…”

Measures taken by Russian universities to perform the sustainable development goals in the framework of the third mission

“…A number of peer-reviewed journals, for example, "Sustainable Development", "Ecosystem Health and Sustainability", "Nature", "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment" exist, while the "International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education" focuses particularly on sustainable development in the university environment. Over the previous year, a lot of research papers were published on various aspects of sustainable development, including the role of higher education institutions [6,7,8,9,10,11,12].…”