scholarly journals Scientific Knowledge Integration and the Implementation of the SDGs: Comparing Strategies of Sustainability Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-175
Author(s):  
Ulrike Zeigermann

Although there is a broad agreement on the importance of scientific knowledge for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, high levels of uncertainty and debate about what counts as knowledge challenge the use of research for political decision-making. Hence, the question arises, which strategies of scientific knowledge integration are adopted by science-based actor-networks that seek to enhance evidence in sustainability governance. In this article, I study the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) engaged in different institutional settings and policy fields. With a qualitative document analysis, I compare the overall structure, objectives, thematic focus, formal knowledge processes, and outputs of 22 national sub-networks of the global SDSN in order to elucidate how these initiatives integrate contested sustainability knowledge underpinning the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. My findings suggest that most SDSNs adopt solution-oriented knowledge integration strategies but also that networks in countries with better overall SDG performance tend to adopt assessment-oriented and learning-oriented strategies. In reflecting on these results in the context of the current literature on knowledge integration in sustainability governance, I argue that science–policy interfaces are shaped by the intentional and dynamic interactions of actors within their institutional setting and policy environment, and propose pathways for further research.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5198
Author(s):  
Martin Barrett ◽  
Kyle S. Bunds ◽  
Jonathan M. Casper ◽  
Michael B. Edwards ◽  
D. Scott Showalter ◽  
...  

In many ways, intercollegiate athletics represents the ‘sustainable’ front porch of higher education. The high-visibility, high-impact nature of elite-level college athletics make athletic departments a central player in the sustainable development journey. However, not all athletic departments respond to this responsibility, nor are all responses uniformly successful. According to national reporting frameworks, an increasing number of universities in the United States are choosing to involve their athletic departments in university-level sustainability governance structures, but the benefits and limitations of this remain unclear. Using the theory of loosely coupled systems, and more specifically, the voice of compensations (which views loose coupling as an unsatisfactory state), the purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions of athletic department engagement in shared sustainability governance, and, thus, a whole-of-institution approach. Semi-structured interviews with sustainability office personnel were conducted and analyzed, and the findings imply that shared sustainability governance has the potential to focus the attention of athletic departments toward sustainability, as well as to reaffirm shared values. Yet, to maximize the impact of athletic departments toward the sustainable development goals of a university, sustainability office personnel suggest the deployment of additional change levers, in a multi-dimensional fashion, as supplementary coupling mechanisms. These would include more rigorous sustainability goals (top-down), continued collaboration on ‘low-hanging fruit’ initiatives (lateral), student-athlete engagement (bottom-up), and the development of an internal sustainability framework (inside-out).


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haradhan Kumar MOHAJAN

Knowledge is considered as the basis for developing sustained long-term competitive advantage for every organization. In the 21st century every organization becomes knowledge based for the sustainable development. Knowledge sharing is an important instrument that turns individual knowledge into group organizational knowledge. It is one of the main knowledge processes in a present dynamic and competitive era for the development of organizations. The knowledge sharing practice plays a remarkable role in the development and innovation in many areas of organizations. In this paper an attempt has been taken to discuss techniques, barriers and benefits of knowledge sharing in organizations.  


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole-Anne Sénit

Spaces for civil society participation within intergovernmental negotiations on sustainability have multiplied since the 1992 Earth Summit. Such participatory spaces are often uncritically accepted as a remedy for an assumed democratic deficit of intergovernmental policymaking. I argue, however, that civil society’s capacity to democratize global sustainability governance is constrained by the limited influence of these spaces on policymaking. The article explores the relationship between the format of participatory spaces and their influence on the negotiations of the Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that civil society is more likely to influence within informal and exclusive participatory spaces, and when these spaces are provided early in the negotiating process, at international and national level. This reveals a democracy–influence paradox, as the actors with the capacities to engage repeatedly and informally with negotiators are seldom those that are most representative of global civil society.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aijun Guo ◽  
Haiqi Wei ◽  
Fanglei Zhong ◽  
Shuangshuang Liu ◽  
Chunlin Huang

Under economic fluctuations, the sustainable development of enterprises is crucial. Currently, there are few studies on the interaction between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and the sustainable development behavior of enterprises. Based on a panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model, this paper explores the static and dynamic interactions among EPU, enterprise investment, and enterprise profitability and then analyzes regional heterogeneity in these factors. It finds that EPU has an inhibitory effect on the investment and profitability of enterprises, while the investment and profitability of enterprises also have an inhibitory effect on EPU. In addition, there are contribution differences and regional differences in the degrees of influence of the three factors. In the long run, EPU and the inhibition of enterprise investment and profitability are strongest in China’s central region. The results show that the stronger the certainty of economic policy, the more conducive this policy is to promoting enterprise investment behavior and improving enterprise profitability. Therefore, to ensure normal economic development, the government should limit changes in economic policy as much as possible; doing so is critical for promoting investment behavior and improving the profitability of enterprises.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Thomas Hickmann

Cities and their governments are increasingly recognized as important actors in global sustainability governance. With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, their role in the global endeavor to foster sustainability has once again been put in the spotlight. Several scholars have highlighted pioneering local strategies and policies to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and render urban areas more sustainable. However, the question of how such urban sustainability actions are embedded in complex interactions between public and private actors operating at different levels has not been studied in enough detail. Building upon a multi-level governance approach, this article explores the entanglement and interconnectedness of cities and local governments with actors and institutions at various levels and scales to better capture the potential and limitations of urban policymaking contributing to global sustainability. The article finds that on the one hand cities and their governments are well positioned to engage other actors into a policy dialogue. On the other hand, local authorities face considerable budgetary and institutional capacity constraints, and they heavily rely on support from actors at other governmental levels and societal scales to carry out effective sustainability actions in urban areas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 154-161
Author(s):  
Elenita Velikova

The achievement of the sustainable development of mountain tourist resorts is questionable in the light of global warming. Increasing average temperatures is a precondition of the additional shortening of the winter tourist season at mountain territories in Bulgaria. The goal of the present publication is to extract strategies for extension of the winter season at mountain resorts in Bulgaria, by proposing effective mechanisms, based on the tourists' preferences and the abilities of tourist entrepreneurs. Based on expert analysis of Bulgarian tourist resorts, personal researches and experience in the researched topic, we determine alternative sources of offering and organization of event as the main possibilities of extending the season. The effect of this research can go in two directions: on one hand, by identifying and discussing the basic concept of seasonality, it will contribute to the enrichment of scientific knowledge in the field with potential for future research. On the other hand, it can be beneficial to destination managers as it will offer a better understanding of the importance of holding unique events to shape the destination's image, reduce seasonality and develop a sustainable economy based on tourism.


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