Dies Oecologicus—How to Foster a Whole Institutional Change with a Student-Led Project as Tipping Point for Sustainable Development at Universities

This chapter introduces the book by presenting the case for institutional change. It starts by explaining what institutions are and subsequently argues how RTI is a valid case of institutional change. It poses the core research puzzle and the guiding research questions. It engages with the existing alternate scholarly explanations, point to the gaps, and suggests an alternate explanation. It proposes an endogenous model of institutional change that builds on gradual and incremental ideational shifts over time to finally reach a ‘tipping point’. In this chapter the entire book plan is laid out by indicating that this volume, spread over six chapters, deals with two distinct yet interrelated layers of the ideational and policy moves within the state apparatus and related institutions. The socio-political processes within both state and society and the role of global norms are part of these phases/layers.

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Corporate Uptake of the Sustainable Development Goals: Mere Greenwashing or an Advent of Institutional Change?

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3789574 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Addisu Lashitew

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Institutional Change ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Development Goals

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Improving Governance Arrangements in Support of Sustainable Cities

Environment and Planning B Planning and Design ◽

10.1068/b31103 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 47-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Ellen van Bueren ◽

Ernst ten Heuvelhof

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Institutional Change ◽

Institutional Context ◽

Radical Change ◽

Sustainable Cities ◽

Incremental Change ◽

The Core ◽

Speed Up ◽

Oil Crisis ◽

Governance Arrangements

Governance to support sustainable development always seems to encounter the same difficulties. The chances of successful governance increase when governance arrangements are better tuned to the environment that it tries to change. However, a better fit leaves less room for change. Governance arrangements supporting sustainable development are more prone to failure, as they aim at changing that environment. Radical institutional change is at the core of sustainable development, but without the help of external factors, such as major crises like the oil crisis in the 1970s, the sense of urgency for such radical change is lacking, and incremental change seems to be the only road available. The authors explore how governance arrangements deal with this recurring barrier to institutional change. Their conclusion is that the more governance arrangements respect the institutional context in which they are used, the higher their quality. To speed up the incremental track, the design of governance arrangements should include positive incentives for actors to cooperate.

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The Healthy Cities Movement

Urban Health ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190915858.003.0030 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 285-292

Author(s):

Agis D. Tsouros

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Institutional Change ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

City Government ◽

World Health ◽

Healthy Cities ◽

Political Commitment ◽

Municipal Governments ◽

The World ◽

Innovative Action

The World Health Association Healthy Cities movement aims to engage municipal governments in a range of activities to generate health in cities, through political commitment, institutional change, capacity building, and innovative action for health, equity and sustainable development. At core, the movement aims to put health at the heart of social, economic, and cultural agendas of city government and has been at the forefront of a global move toward recognizing cities’ potential to transform themselves to improve their residents’ health. More than 100 cities are part of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. This chapter discusses the vision behind, goals of, challenges faced by, and successes of the healthy cities movement, with an eye to lessons learned that can be applied more broadly to urban health.

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