Search

ABSTRACT The nexus between hydropower dams, social policy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a currently understudied topic. This paper aims to fill parts of this gap by discussing these issues in relation to the world's largest builder of hydropower dams, Chinese state-owned enterprise Sinohydro. This paper draws on the analysis of firm strategy documents and CSR documents and gains additional insights from key informant interviews. The research finds that in 2011 Sinohydro developed its first comprehensive policy framework for social and environmental safeguards that was in line with international standards set by the World Bank/International Finance Corporation. These policies were however later replaced by weaker, vaguer policy. The paper suggests there is a need for Sinohydro and other dam-builders to re-engage with social innovation to mitigate some of the negative social and environmental implications of hydropower dams. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the practical approach to sustainable development in Bhutan and specifically on public views on and experiences with the implementation of this strategy. Bhutan's development goal is ‘gross national happiness’. The strategy it has adopted to achieve this goal is known as the ‘middle path strategy’, which essentially addresses four sources (‘pillars’) of gross national happiness: economic development, ecological preservation, cultural preservation and good governance, without giving greater emphasis to any one pillar over the others. The paper is based on a survey conducted in 10 districts of Bhutan. Standard pre-designed questionnaires were used for interviews with representatives of three main groups in society: the state, civil society and the market. The results of this survey, the first of its kind to be carried out in the country, revealed that there is general agreement with the substance of the development strategy, although not everyone is fully aware of its scope and implications. A remarkable outcome of the survey, and one that contrasts with happiness studies conducted elsewhere in the world, was the high score for happiness in a country whose gross domestic product is so small. However, people do feel uncertain and the chosen development path is still fragile. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Public demonstration projects are used to promote the upscaling of green-manufacturing technologies in China, in order to expedite innovation 'catch-up' and transitions to sustainable development. However, these projects are facing implementation challenges, because the relevant barriers are different from traditional demonstrations in new technological niches, when involving complex economic concerns and prolific small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as adopters. This paper, therefore, adopts a case-based approach to investigate a specific example of a demonstration project in China to support the large-scale diffusion of green technology and its pilot implementations. Through the case study, this paper reveals that these demonstrations face a different set of diffusion barriers in testing technologies and promoting learning. In addition, this case also shows that a new policy model may be needed in order to cope with these barriers, when emphasizing market-oriented policies and non-legislative actors as well as combining them with traditional mandatory measures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Large dams have been controversially debated for decades due to their large-scale and often irreversible social and environmental impacts. In the pursuit of low-carbon energy and climate change mitigation, hydropower is experiencing a new renaissance. At the forefront of this renaissance are Chinese actors as the world's largest hydropower dam-builders. This paper aims to discuss the role of South-South technology transfer of low-carbon energy innovation and its opportunities and barriers by using a case study of the first large Chinese-funded and Chinese-built dam in Cambodia. Using the Kamchay Dam as an example, the paper finds that technology transfer can only be fully successful when host governments and organizations have the capacity to absorb new technologies. The paper also finds that technology transfer in the dam sector needs to go beyond hardware and focus more on the transfer of expertise, skills and knowledge to enable long-term sustainable development. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper explores environmental innovation in the largest emerging economy - China - and its potential for contributing to global transitions to low-carbon, more sustainable patterns of development. It builds on earlier studies bringing alternative forms of low(er)-technology, 'below-the-radar', 'disruptive' and/or social innovation into its analysis. In addition, however, the paper develops our understanding of low-carbon innovation by paying particular attention to issues of changing power relations and social practices: theoretical issues that need attention in the literature generally but are notably absent when studying transitions in China. This shift in perspective allows four neglected questions to be introduced and, in each case, points to both opportunities and challenges to low-carbon system transition that are overlooked by an orthodox focus on technological innovations alone. These are briefly illustrated by drawing on examples from three key domains of low-carbon innovation: solar-generated energy, electric urban mobility, and food and agriculture. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has become an arena where people bring already existing political and philosophical outlooks to a debate characterized by fundamental dichotomies. This paper presents an analysis of ten Australian Aboriginal law stories to derive a range of principles for how the Nhunggabarra people of Australia sustained their society against three such dichotomies: holism versus fragmentation, ‘strong’ versus ‘weak’ SD and growth versus no-growth economy. The Aboriginal sustainability model is possibly the oldest we have some evidence of, with a successful track record of several tens of thousands of years. It is a surprisingly ‘realistic’ model: neither representative of strong SD, nor giving arguments to no-growth proponents. The paper argues against a common perception that modern industrialized societies cannot learn from indigenous societies: it is a matter of perspective. Although many practices and solutions are not viable for our time, we can learn from the principles and the governance models as a whole. The Nhunggabarra society model provides a set of such principles, with a sustainability track record. Australia, therefore, has two models, the Aboriginal and the industrial, both implemented on a continent, which can be seen as a bellwether for the planet as a whole – a unique learning opportunity for the discourse on sustainable development. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge facing marketing (and business) is letting go of old assumptions and embarking on a journey of unprecedented uncertainty towards a more sustainable marketplace. Current marketing approaches are called into question in this paper and it is argued that they fail to represent adequately – and far less to confront – our relationships with products and the natural environment. This paper challenges marketing in this respect, investigating the consequences of putting marketing into an ecological context. By using the generative and creative power of metaphors we attempt to draw the sustainability debate away from the language of the mechanistic world; where matter is regarded as inert, mute, passive and exploitable. By using the ‘living product’ metaphor as a tool for change we explore the potential for a reorientation towards organizational–environmental configurations that are dynamic and flexible and provide space for dealing with uncertainty. These concepts are then illustrated in a number of practical examples, providing an insight into the potential of marketing in our search towards a more sustainable marketplace. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of the Special Issue of European Environment devoted to the outputs of the EU SRDTOOLS project, which has developed and applied a new model of regional sustainable development evaluation. The paper demonstrates how the SRDTOOLS methodology has been practically applied for the case of Prague, and the constraints to application of the methodology that have arisen during its usage in real conditions. A significant part of the paper is devoted to exploring the regional strategic programming documents and the regional developmental objective review in terms of the four-capital model. Subsequently, the process of urban sprawl has been selected to test deeply the methodology of trade-offs, critical trends and thresholds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of the special issue of European Environment devoted to the outputs of the EU SRDTOOLS project,1 which developed and applied a new model of regional sustainable development evaluation. The paper introduces the concept and framework of the four-capital model, which was used in the project. First it discusses some issues around sustainable development evaluation, before introducing the theory of the four-capital model. It then describes how indicators can be used to evaluate programmes such as those financed by the EU Structural Funds against criteria for sustainable regional development in terms of the four capitals. An ‘ideal’ indicator set is listed in the appendix. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the themes of rationality and legitimation in the discourse of sustainable development. We start by constructing ideal types of interpretation of sustainable development (weak and strong) and rationality (value rationality and instrumental rationality) as conceptual and theoretical ‘tools’ for our further analysis. We then discuss the role of and analyze the construction of rationality and legitimation in the sustainable development discourse. We explore the ways in which rationality and legitimation are constructed to support one's own interpretation, and, on the other hand, how the rationality and legitimacy of the opposing interpretations are nullified. We then discuss the basis of prudent decision-making, and the possibilities and problems that are bound up in the concept of sustainable development. The paper concludes by stating that when it comes to sustainable development neither societal decision-making nor the actions based on it is currently prudent. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political objective calling for environmentally sustainable development has provided the canvas for lively dialogue amongst scientists and analysts. Be that as it may, what have been found wanting are operational conditions for the achievement of environmental sustainability within specific anthropogenic systems, with cities being cited as a prime example of such systems. Indeed, from a historical perspective, cities have always been based on the concentration of humans and man-made elements, resulting in respective confinement of natural assets. As cities possess particular properties for their environmental basis, the general conditions governing sustainability require suitable modifications when applied to cities. In this context, the present paper examines the conditions for environmentally sustainable development in urban systems. The specific natural and socioeconomic characteristics of urban systems are systematically taken into account for defining environmentally sustainable development in cities. The paper proposes an operational framework for evaluating urban systems for their environmental performance. Urban systems, presenting specific characteristics necessary for creating welfare with high density, ask for particular conditions for their environmentally sustainable development. These conditions differ substantially from those defining sustainability in broader geographical systems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper comparatively analyzes the systems in Australia and Canada from the perspective of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries No. 8. The results show that the key factors in the success of the Australian system are public participation, selecting an indicator with its objectives and improving management performance by the evaluation of the system. Further, the boundaries of the SFDIS should be the same as the boundaries of the management units and fisheries should be examined independently. The framework chosen by the Canadian system is more all-round, and can be combined with the PSR framework to maximize the management effects. Finally, techniques and specialist software such as fuzzy AHP etc. are ‘well-suited to measuring weights and have the potential to be applied elsewhere’. Visual presentation is the best way to promote communication with the public. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's kite diagram and the Sustainable Development Committee's dashboard of sustainability are two excellent visualizations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the December 2005 issue of Economic Affairs , a collection of authors considered alternative institutions for planning and managing urban affairs. Following up the idea of ‘planning by contract’, this paper reflects on the role of negotiation in securing gains from trade over contested local environmental resources. The idea of an obstructive classical planning game is contrasted with the concept of creative negotiation by reference to two case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Company experience is that environmental constraints are throttling business progress. Pressures from legislation, insurance, finance and stakeholders, who all demand evidence of environmental excellence, are ever increasing. At the same time, the economic system is driving business in a predominantly unsustainable direction. In view of this dilemma, the need for a practical methodology enabling the full implementation of sustainable development into business cannot be overstated. Central to all this is a clear definition of what sustainable development means for industry in practice; how sustainable processing can be applied from first principles and the adoption of total sustainability as the ultimate goal. This paper aims to clarify the important issues involved in practical sustainable development and to assemble the elements of a practical methodology or toolkit, for the attainment of total sustainability in business. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is argued that the view of the economic sphere as a closed system cannot appropriately deal with the issue of sustainable development. Evolutionary economics is then presented as a fruitful alternative to apprehend the interactions between the economic, the human and the natural spheres. This emerging field offers both a firm theoretical basis (based upon recent developments in physics, biology, dynamic systems theory and the sciences of complexity) and practical, pragmatic answers to the implementation of a sustainable path of development. This is further illustrated with the presentation of the evolutionary logic of a multi-level common regime. Such a regime could be an institutional counterpart of social and environmental dynamics. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to reconcile social and environmental goals for sustainable development still poses problems for policy makers in the richer parts of the world. Using the examples of domestic water and energy, this paper argues that the problems are reflected, and often magnified, in developing countries. They arise largely from conflicts between the short-term need to alleviate poverty and longer-term objectives for environmental sustainability. The dual nature of water and energy as both social and economic goods raises questions about the most appropriate forms of provision and allocation of the utilities. It is in no one's long-term interest for developing countries to repeat the environmentally damaging mistakes of the industrialized world. But an equitable distribution of the short-term costs attached to a more environmentally responsible use of resources demands new ways of thinking about global social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The issue of sustainability, its definition and measurement, is crucial to current debates in development policy and aid reform. But while all donors demand it few define it in operational terms. This poses serious methodological challenges for evaluators since there are no accepted and uncontested indicators of institutional sustainability. They therefore resort to using quantitative measures such as the calculation of a ‘sustainability rate’. This paper examines different views of institutional sustainability and identifies some of their shortcomings from the standpoint of programme evaluation. Institutional sustainability is seen as a capacity rather than a financial issue. It then suggests the need for qualitative indicators of sustainability and argues that the institution's capacity to learn—as reflected in the relative importance accorded to action and reflection, the way in which the institution deals with ‘discordant information’, and its capacity to conduct and use evaluations—is a key aspect of sustainability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT There is increasing pressure on corporations for sustainability reporting. However, current patterns in corporate sustainability reporting are not well understood. Additional research is needed to identify the contents of current reports and to provide a basis for improvement. The aim of this research is to analyze the sustainable development reporting patterns of Dutch companies. A content analysis of Dutch sustainability reports was conducted. The findings show that the contents of Dutch sustainability reports vary widely. While some areas in these reports are well developed, others - such as the use of cross-cutting indicators, linking sustainability initiatives with broader public policy, future reporting directions, systematic presentation of data, and discussion of non-conformances - require significant improvement. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Book reviewed in this issue. Our Money, Our Responsibility: A Citizens' Guide to Monitoring Government Expenditures. By V. Ramkumar. World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms. By Thomas Pogge. Taxation and State-Building in Developing Countries: Capacity and Consent. Edited by Deborah Brautigam, Odd-Helge Fjeldstad and Mick Moore. Ethics of Global Development: Agency, Capability, and Deliberative Democracy. By David A. Crocker. An Introduction to Sustainable Development. By Peter P. Rogers, Kazi F. Jalal and John A. Boyd. The Current Negotiations in the WTO: Options, Opportunities and Risks for Developing Countries. By Bhagirath Lal Das. Commodity Prices and Development. Edited by S. Newton and R. Grynberg. WTO Negotiations on Agriculture and Developing Countries. By Anwarul Hoda and Ashok Gulati. Expanding Frontiers of Global Trade Rules: The Political Economy Dynamics of the International Trading System. By Nitya Nanda. Policy Windows and Livelihood Futures: Prospects for Poverty Reduction in Rural India. Edited by John Farrington, Priya Deshingkar, Craig Johnson and Daniel Start. Indigenous Routes: A Framework for Understanding Indigenous Migration. By Carlos Yescas Trujano. Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008. By the World Bank. Social Protection for the Poor and Poorest: Risk, Needs and Rights. Edited by Armando Barrientos and David Hulme. Growth Divergences: Explaining Differences in Economic Performance. Edited by José Antonio Ocampo, K. S. Jomo and Rob Vos. Sub-Saharan Africa: Forging New Trade Links with Asia. By K. Carey, S. Gupta and U. Jacoby. The Least Developed Countries Report 2008: Growth, Poverty and the Terms of Development Partnership. Prepared by the UNCTAD Secretariat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its fuzziness, the model of sustainable development has to be particularized and contextualized before it can be used as a yardstick. A local indicator system for two German cities has been developed to meet these requirements using a new conceptualization of sustainability. Initially, local problem areas were identified in a bottom-up approach by local authority personnel. These problem areas were contrasted with a set of sustainability rules, which had been systematically derived from a basic sustainability norm that gives minimum requirements for sustainable development. Indicators were specified at the interface between local problem areas and sustainability rules. The indicators are expected to provide information on whether the city is over time becoming closer to or farther removed from the respective sustainability goals in its problem areas. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the development planning approach of intellectual Sukhamoy Chakravarty of India, which aims to integrate economic growth with social justice and ecological sustainability. It outlines Chakravarty's approach to planning theory and the major lessons he learned from his policy-related work in the country's Planning Commission. It discusses his views and perceptions concerning economic progress, agriculture-led growth and the main barriers to Indian growth. Moreover, the article analyzes whether Chakravarty's approach to development planning is still relevant despite changes in various aspects of the nation.

We consider a common resource economy in which agents exploit the common resource, and use it to produce goods and consume the goods produced. Also the agents can invest in private and productive capital. The resource extracted from the common resource is non-renewable and the common pool is under uncertainty in the sense that it could have a sudden increase or decrease in the course of extraction. In this model we shall explore the probability of sustainability or ruin of the economy. We compare and discuss the optimal extraction rules and the probabilities under cooperative and non-cooperative regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part 1 (Hay, 2005) reviewed the root causes of our society's unsustainable condition and introduced a new approach, becoming ecosynchronous, to discuss how the unfolding of self (becoming) and being aware of events that are meaningfully related (synchronicity) can help us to get in sync with nature and become more sustainable. In Part 2, becoming ecosynchronous is examined further to present a comprehensive program toward achieving sustainability. Ways in which personal development can be considered and advanced in a sustainability framework are demonstrated, with reference to an ecocentric position. Orientation, contexts, meaningful relations, developing a sense of place, adult development (as part of becoming) and synchronicity (as tied to a revised view of reality) are discussed first. The development of a culture of permanency, to address our society's soul sickness, is explored in the conclusion, via practical applications, aspects of societal transformation and principles of becoming ecosynchronous. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of eco-efficiency is commonly referred to as a business link to sustainable development. In this article, eco-efficiency is examined at a regional level as an approach to promoting the competitiveness of economic activities in the Finnish Kymenlaakso region and mitigating their harmful impacts on the environment. The aim is to develop appropriate indicators for monitoring changes in the eco-efficiency of the region. A starting point is to produce indicators for the environmental and economic dimensions of regional development and use them for measuring regional eco-efficiency. The environmental impact indicators are based on a life-cycle assessment method, producing different types of environmental impact indicators: pressure indicators (e.g., emissions of CO2), impact category indicators (e.g., CO2 equivalents in the case of climate change), and a total impact indicator (aggregating different impact category indicator results into a single value). Environmental impact indicators based on direct material input, total material input, and total material requirement of the Kymenlaakso region are also assessed. The economic indicators used are the gross domestic product, the value added, and the output of the main economic sectors of Kymenlaakso. In the eco-efficiency assessment, the economic and environmental impact indicators are monitored in the same graph. In a few cases eco-efficiency ratios can also be calculated (the economic indicators are divided by the environmental indicators). Output (= value added + intermediate consumption) is used as an economic indicator related to the environmental impact indicators, which also cover the upstream processes of the region's activities. In the article, we also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using the different environmental impact indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the philosophy, theory and tools of eco-efficiency. Eco-efficiency is described as being achieved by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle. Its importance lies in its ability to combine performance along the axes of sustainable development, environment and economics. History of the notion that increasing economic development would have to be correlated with lowering of environmental impact is discussed. The First International Conference on Quantified Eco-efficiency in 2004 highlighted the lack of focus on providing quantitative interpretations of and methods for eco-efficiency.