Reproduction of Human Capital as a Strategic Priority for Sustainable Development of Regions

The main wealth of the country, its main strategic resource that can ensure political, economic, environmental, and spiritual growth, is human capital. Its intellectual, entrepreneurial, and productive potential, the ability to create and accumulate knowledge, implement it in the production of goods and services, develop unique technologies, invent new types of energy, materials, information, etc., is the engine of scientific and technological progress and innovative restructuring of the economy. Investment in human capital, in intelligence, in the health of the nation, in education and science, and in creating conditions for the normal functioning of everyone is a prerequisite not only for improving the quality of life of the people, but also for achieving the Millennium Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, advancing the country’s development, and its social and political stability. The research is aimed at developing theoretical, methodological, and practical provisions for the formation of strategic priorities for sustainable development of territories based on the reproduction of human capital. The theoretical basis was the available scientific works, certain provisions of normative legal acts, international framework documents, in particular from United Nations: Agenda 21 and the report Our Common Future, as well as local studies. The generalization of various scientific points of view regarding the category of human capital allowed us to establish that it is an integral part of its carrier, and therefore, it is proposed to understand as such a set of personal qualities of a person formed, developed, accumulated and preserved as a result of investments in productive abilities, personal qualities and motivational behavior of an individual, as well as the ability to develop and accumulate the necessary qualities that are in his property, which he uses in economic activities and which provides him with a corresponding income. The article substantiates the value of the category human capital for sustainable development. The territorial features of the reproduction of human capital are determined, based on which it is proposed to consider the region as space. It is proved that the reproduction of human capital occurs in the relationship and interdependence with the general periods of the life cycle of the generation, which served to distinguish the four phases of the reproduction of human capital. The architectonics of determining the strategic priorities of sustainable development of territories based on the reproduction of human capital, which is aimed at solving theoretical, methodological, and applied problems, is proposed.

Áreas verdes públicas como parâmetros qualitativo da boa governança

Este artigo teve por objetivo analisar o planejamento e gestão das áreas verdes como parâmetro qualitativo da boa governança. Para realização da pesquisa, foi considerada a melhoria da qualidade ambiental do espaço urbano, decorrente do processo da implantação da Agenda 21 Local. A pesquisa adotou o método qualitativo, tem como procedimento a construção empírica (na forma de Estudo de Caso), tendo recorte analítico, um estudo de caso na Estância Turística de Tupã – SP e o recorte temporal, a análise da gestão administrativa no período de 2001 a 2016. Como resultado, verificou-se que durante a gestão de 2005/2008 foram identificados os requisitos necessários (participação popular + tomada de decisão) para caracterizar a governança, em decorrência de um processo de implantação da Agenda 21 Local. Fato este que se refletiu no desenvolvimento de 30 projetos de áreas verdes públicas, que resultaram na implantação de 8 espaços (praças, jardins e parques), reurbanização de 1 uma praça e a revitalização de 15 praças e jardins.

Do we Understand Sustainability? An Architectural Insight Into the Origin of the Concept

Sustainability is a concept shrouded in abstraction. While we have definitions in existence, it is often difficult to explain the concept itself. The current definition of ‘sustainable development’ was given by the Brundtland Commission’s report in 1987. The Earth Summit at Rio in 1992 gave us Agenda 21, an action plan to achieve sustainable development. Now in the 21st century, philosophers, academicians, and researchers across the globe are paving the way for a new understanding of the term ‘sustainability’, its contextual nature, and its relation to humans, politics, and ecology. This article investigates the origins of the term ‘sustainability’, its derivatives, and the concept of sustainable development. A semantical analysis is carried out to understand the differences between ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable development’. Next, the development of the three pillars of sustainability and the application of these concepts in the field of architecture and design is also investigated.

What Explains Change-Supporting Behavior within Local Agenda 21 Civil Society Groups to Promote Sustainable Development?

Civil society groups and their members are important agents within the multi-stakeholder change process towards more ecological, social, global, and economic sustainability. To better understand civil society group members’ drivers within this complex societal change process, the present study examines the impact of perceived participation, leader–member exchange (LMX), procedural justice, and procedural justice climate on change-supporting behavior. Referring to social exchange theory, data from 125 members of 34 civil society groups that engage in the Agenda 21 process in Germany were gathered by paper/pencil and online questionnaires. Multi-level analyses were conducted to examine interactions between group-level and individual-level phenomena. We found that participation and LMX positively affected group members’ procedural justice perceptions and that procedural justice positively affected group members’ change-supporting behavior. Procedural justice further mediated the relationship between participation, LMX, and change-supporting behavior. The study’s results suggest that fair social exchange processes with civil society group members should be more encouraged by other societal stakeholders (i.e., government, civil society group leaders) wishing to maximize civil society group members’ change-supporting behavior. This study demonstrates ways to promote change initiatives in civil society. Fair social exchange processes help to overcome participation hurdles in the complex field of sustainable local development.

IMO’s Marine Environmental Regulatory Governance and China’s Role: An Empirical Study of China’s Submissions

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) plays a significant role in global marine environmental governance, providing a forum of regulatory oversight for member states. Member states are the main actors of the IMO and exert considerable influence on the process of lawmaking. Among these member states, China is unique due to its multiple identities. There are various factors influencing interests behind China’s multiple identities, which fully engage the country in various shipping and maritime trade activities. This article examines China’s role in the IMO marine environmental regulatory governance. It identifies the impact of China on global ocean governance and indicates the development and reforms in the global governance system. China enacted the China Ocean Agenda 21 for its strategy of ocean development. Thus, China is the object of study in this examination of empirical research that collects submissions from 2001 to 2020 related to marine environmental governance. The findings reveal that the extent to which China participates in such governance has considerably increased, and although the contribution of China’s submissions is still in development, its role in the IMO is no longer merely that of a follower, and the efforts of the country have had a positive influence on the IMO’s marine environmental regulatory governance, including its legal instruments.

REVISÃO BIBLIOGRÁFICA CONCEITOS DE MEIO AMBIENTE SOBRE A PERSPECTIVA DOS EDUCADORES

Introdução O trabalho traz a temática da Educação e Meio Ambiente, no Brasil entre os anos de 2008 à 2018. Este tema foi escolhido devido à crescente preocupação e busca da sociedade por um ambiente equilibrado e sustentável. O questionamento do trabalho é: qual o conceito dos professores de ensino fundamental sobre meio ambiente; se os conceitos dos professores condizem com a Política Nacional de Meio Ambiente e a Agenda 21, visando como respostas à relação entre o ser humano, a natureza. Tendo em vista o aumento da degradação ambiental, da forma com que os indivíduos se relacionam com o meio ambiente, de forma individual e coletiva, e do aumento dos problemas socioambientais. Objetivo é avaliar os conceitos de meio ambiente dos educadores. Material e método utilização de revisão bibliográfica para coleta de dados, em artigos científicos, os quais apresentaram os mesmos questionamentos em suas pesquisas, através de entrevistas sobre o tema, em regiões do Brasil. Resultados todos os autores apresentaram uma média entre os conceitos de meio ambiente, e os mais significativos foram: relacional, exprime a relação direta do homem e os recursos naturais (meio ambiente) ficou com 39%;2008 e 24% 2018, generalista, que traz o conceito: lugar para viver, teve o maior percentual entre todos os trabalhos,26% 2008 e 46% 2018 e entre os anos de 2013 e 2015 o resultado foi 0%, pelo fato dos autores não apresentaram o questionamento sobre o conceito. Conclusões portanto, estes resultados mostram que os educadores estão distantes das premissas da Política Nacional de Educação Ambiental e da Agenda 21.

Ciudad Creativa. Ciencias sociales para ciudadanos del Siglo XXI. Proyecto educativo

“Ciudad Creativa. Ciencias sociales para el Siglo XXI” es un proyecto educativo destinado a docentes, comunicadores, formadores, agentes culturales, ciudadanos, que estén interesados en informarse sobre el significado de vivir en una Ciudad y Municipio inscriptos en Agenda 21 y todo lo que involucra pertenecer a esta organización, sus principios y acciones. Consideramos que una de las cuestiones claves para la construcción de ciudadanía, la gobernanza y la vida democrática es el protagonismo de las Ciudades y Gobiernos Locales en el orden global. Por ello, en el año 2011 el Partido de General Pueyrredon se adhirió a la Agenda 21 Nos encontramos como ciudadanos y docentes ante el doble desafío de aprender a convivir con los cambios revolucionarios de fines del siglo XX y del transcurrido hasta ahora siglo XXI y de brindar a los niños y jóvenes conocimientos que les permitan tener oportunidades de desarrollo personal y colectivo. Este segundo desafío nos pone ante la necesidad de explorar, investigar y de capacitarnos para estar a la altura de las circunstancias como formadores de estos ciudadanos del siglo XXI. No sólo debemos estudiar para usar las TICs como herramienta y como vínculo indispensable, sino que debemos aprehender esta realidad nueva, diversa y dinámica, con fuertes raíces en el patrimonio y la identidad para transferirla de manera de despertar interés, entusiasmo, pasión, por estos saberes. Por ello, ideamos el “Proyecto Educativo Ciudad Creativa. Ciencias sociales para el siglo XXI”. Con esto, procuramos contribuir al conocimiento y a la vinculación de conceptos vigentes para las políticas públicas como Agenda o Programa 21 Ciudades Culturales, Ciudades Creativas, Ciudad del Conocimiento. Porque consideramos que esto es muy necesario para la formación de funcionarios, comunicadores, docentes y jóvenes que serán en cada uno de sus roles, los responsables de ejercer la ciudadanía de este siglo XXI. En el año 2020, la pandemia de coronavirus provocó una crisis brutal en los paradigmas de desarrollo, económico, educativo y cultural. Habíamos conformado el Nodo General Pueyrredon de la Red Argentina del Paisaje y nos vimos en la necesidad de incorporar a nuestro Proyecto educativo al Paisaje como un nuevo indicador. “La ciudad ha evolucionado a lo largo de un proceso de más de 5000 años, en el que constantemente se define, redefine y transforma; es histórica y vive en permanente cambio. Sin embargo, como parte de su misma evolución, existe, en ciertas coyunturas específicas, una aceleración significativa de los procesos de transformación” este shock urbano se ha dado en el contexto de la pandemia. Los ciudadanos debemos ser responsables de los cambios que deben darse de manera ineludible, formarnos para el civitismo mediante la educación y la cultura para el desarrollo. Fernando Carrión, Paulina Cepeda “La ciudad pospandemia”

Business contributions to the sustainable development goals through community sustainability partnerships

Purpose This study aims to understand how businesses can contribute to the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) by implementing Local Agenda 21 (or equivalent) plans in partnership with other organizations situated in their city. To this end, the present study examines drivers and outcomes from the perspective of business partners, as well as their relationships to the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach Through a mixed-methods approach this research studies 71 businesses from four large cross-sector partnerships formed to achieve local sustainability goals. Data were collected through a survey to determine why firms partner and what outcomes they obtain from partnering. Qualitative content analyses are used to determine the relationships between business drivers and outcomes from partnering for local sustainability and the SDGs. Findings From a resource-based view (RBV) perspective, findings show the value of local sustainability partnerships in relation to the SDGs. Many SDG targets are aligned with the top reasons why businesses join large community sustainability partnerships. Also, through the outcomes achieved by participating in the partnership businesses can further the SDGs. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to the literature and to practice through the understanding of businesses partnering for local sustainability, and its relationships to global sustainability. Firstly, the connections of business partners to local and global sustainability are better understood. Of note is the contribution made to the literature on sustainability-related drivers and outcomes expanding and refining RBV literature. Secondly, a positive connection has been established between businesses and the SDGs, proposing a virtuous model of relationship that summarizes the findings from this research. And thirdly, large cross-sector social partnerships are better understood. Practical implications Small- and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations with local offices can further both local and global sustainable development by engaging in local cross-sector sustainability partnerships. Social implications These research findings are crucial for those leading sustainability initiatives, so they can engage businesses actively in light of the important role they play in society improving their contributions and the chances for sustainability partnerships to achieve their goals. Originality/value This research contributes to the scale conversation by exploring community sustainability partnerships as a means to understand how business engagement in sustainability at the local level can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and, ultimately, to global sustainability.