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Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) are a central instrument in international development cooperation and of key importance in guiding donors' policies towards southern recipients. However, many aspects of the PRSP have been criticised by a variety of development stakeholders. A checklist of 85 questions has been developed to analyse the inclusion of aspects of sustainable development in PRSPs and to point to sustainability challenges and opportunities. It thus facilitates targeted advice and quality improvements. The checklist was applied to a selection of 12 PRSPs of developing countries. The results reveal an insufficient integration of the ecosystem services concept, of biodiversity and of climate issues. Property rights, gender issues, water and energy are as a rule well elaborated. PRSPs show significant variation in the integration of environmental sustainability issues. Sustainability assessments can contribute to significant improvements between first and second generation PRSPs provided the assessments are supported by a strong institutional framework and a dedicated political commitment towards sustainability. [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]

During the last decade, leaders of the Mekong Countries have found it mutually advantageous to open up the Mekong Sub-Region (MR) for development and trade, which promises some degree of political stability and regional security. Within the present political, cultural, and economic dynamics, the Mekong River Basin (MRB) — one of the major international river basins in MR — is a powerful catalyst for regional cooperation that facilitates sustainable development and regional stability; if that is, the effective management intervention is in place to make sure that the benefits and costs of river basin development are spread equitably and peacefully. Nonetheless, there are numerous stumbling blocks in achieving integrated and balanced MRB management, such as limited success in real basin wide planning, implementation and monitoring and a poor knowledge base for supporting informed decision making and, finally, political impediments. A workable and truly regional cooperative mechanism for integrated management of the MRB is yet to be developed, regardless of the existence of numerous regional institutions and organizations. The present paper proposes new schemes with (re)designing principles and performance determinants for a regional cooperative mechanism. [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]

This paper examines the concept of a new paradigm that sees economic growth, social justice and environmental care advancing together and becoming the common sense of our age. Last year the G20 countries declared themselves committed to a sustainable economic future. The Copenhagen Accord allied at least 49 countries, and for the first time the US and China, to this cause but the radical plan for a greener brand of economics as put forward by the UK's Sustainable Development Commission asks far more of us than the relatively simple fiscal stimulus and sustainable economic packages that have grown up in response and through the recent financial crisis and recession. All around us we can see moves toward a more sustainable economic future but is it enough and will it actually be too late from the point of view of natural resources, threatened species and ecosystems? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper discusses some of the potentials, problems, policies and progress in modelling sustainable development. After briefly describing ten approaches to modelling sustainable development, some of the methodological problems still to be resolved are addressed. It is then suggested that policies to promote sustainable development should operate at six different spatial levels connecting global, multinational, national, regional, local and individual. Attempting to model sustainable development in such a hierarchical manner is exceedingly difficult. One way of modelling sustainable development is to develop the concept of a sustainable corridor, combining ecological, economic and equity considerations in a hierarchical fashion and through space-time. A preliminary dynamic, hierarchical model is described connecting global and national patterns of development. Using global and national data for Scotland, the calibrated model, running under the business-as-usual scenario, shows that current development paths are unsustainable. It is shown that, by implementing a judicious choice of policies, a sustainable corridor for a global and a national system can be achieved. The ways in which this preliminary model can be developed to connect all six hierarchical levels are discussed. [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 paper deals with the opportunity of using the ecological footprint as a tool in elaborating and correcting sustainable development plans and strategies in Romania. The authors briefly present the concept and consider it as one of the most appropriate approach of the balance society - natural ressources supply. As the experience of other countries shows up, the use of the ecological footprint at sub-national level (region, department, big urban area) could be a viable way to avoid the over-exploitation of natural resources. A list of potential advantages coming from the implementation of this tool in Romania, at region or county scale is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology advancement and population pressures demand that development planning be conducted not only with the techno-economic paradigm in mind but also taking into consideration environmental, political, and social sustainability factors. Projections considering current energy policies demonstrate that global electricity consumption will grow by 84% in the next 25 years. The portion of electricity consumption from fossil fuels is estimated at 63%, still representing a major ?challenge to the energy sector in the coming decades [1]. Estimating supply alternatives for increasing electricity consumption is integral to the development expansion plans of developing nations. The selected countries in this work are part of different social, environmental, political, and economic scenarios. Although the sample of countries is small, it represents a very heterogeneous and comprehensive group. The implications from the review here aim to provide an overview of energy planning around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the green-collar jobs program projected by labor leaders and environmentalists. It says that the program offers new jobs in clean technologies which include the erection of wind turbines, installation of solar panels, retrofitting old buildings and pro-environment tasks. It tells that the program aims to win popular acceptance and be a useful way for a long overdue discussion of national industrial policy. It states that the program permits a basic income increase among people that will pursue the socially useful jobs being offered.

(1) Sustainable development is a very simple idea. It is about ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come … To achieve this, sustainable development is concerned with achieving economic growth, in the form of higher living standards, while protecting and where possible enhancing the environment … Building sustainable communities involves considering how to encourage employment, decent housing, good health, and access to services and recreation, in ways which make good use of natural resources, protect the environment, promote social cohesion, and contribute to local, regional and national prosperity. (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions [DETR], 1998: 11) buildings, roads and railways) but also natural wealth, such as clean and adequate water supplies, good arable land, a wealth of wildlife and ample forests … To achieve sustainable development requires the full integration of environmental considerations into economic policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]