Lafferty, William M, ed.

Cheltenham, U.K. and Northampton, Mass.: Elgar, 2004, pp. xvii, 377

Nine papers provide insights into the relationship between the overall goals of the sustainable development program and the form of government that might better promote the goals. Papers discuss implementation theory, the challenge of sustainable development, and the transformative role of learning (Laurence J. O'Toole Jr.); lessons from the European Union's engagement with sustainable development (Elizabeth Bomberg); a comparison of Dutch, Swedish, and EU strategies for realizing sustainable development (Lennart J. Lundqvist); rhetorical participatory discourse in the Spanish strategy for sustainable development (Susana Aguilar Fernandez); participation and modes of citizen, community, and organizational involvement in sustainable development (James Meadowcroft); mechanisms and instruments for sustainable development and the challenge of decoupling environmental pressures and economic growth (William M. Lafferty); the role of business in governance for sustainable development (Audun Ruud); the implementation of global norms through cross-national imitation and learning (Helge Jorgens); and a theory of the implementation of policy instruments used to analyze two environmental policy instruments in the Netherlands (Hans T. A. Bressers). Lafferty is Professor of Political Science and with the Center for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo. Index.

Theodor W. Beine.

Soziologische Revue, Vol. 26, No. 4, Oct 2003. pp. 424-432.

A review essay on books by (1) Fritz Brickwedde & Ulrike Peters (Eds), Umweltkommunikation - vom Wissen zum Handeln. 7. Internationale Sommerakademie St. Marienthal ([Environmental Communication - From Knowledge to Action. 7th International Summer Academy St. Marienthal] Berlin, Germany: Erich Schmidt, 2002); (2) Urs Dahinden, Demokratisierung der Umweltpolitik. Okologische Steuern im Urteil von Burgerinnen und Burgern ([Democratization of Environmental Politics. Ecological Taxes as Judged by Citizens] Baden-Baden, Germany: Nomos, 2000); (3) Bernd Hansjurgens & Gertrude Lubbe-Wolff (Eds), Symbolische Umweltpolitik ([Symbolic Environmental Politics] Frankfurt a. M., Germany: Suhrkamp, 2000); (4) Alain Lipietz, Die grosse Transformation des 21. Jahrhunderts. Ein Entwurf der politischen Okologie ([The Great Transformation of the 21st Century. A Blueprint of Political Ecology] Munster, Germany: Westfalisches Dampfboot, 2000); (5) Volker Von Prittwitz (Ed), Institutionelle Arrangements in der Umweltpolitik. Zukunftsfahigkeit durch innovative Verfahrenskombinationen ([Institutional Arrangements in Environmental Politics. Sustainability through Innovative Process Combinations] Opladen, Germany: Leske & Budrich, 2000); (6) Wolfgang Sachs, Nach uns die Zukunft. Der globale Konflikt um Gerechtigkeit und Okologie (After Us the Future. The Global Conflict regarding Justice and Ecology] Frankfurt a. M., Germany: Brandes & Apsel, 2002); (7) Ralf Schule, Public Perceptions of Global Climate Change. A Case Study from the Frankfurt Area (Frankfurt a. M., 2001); (8) Umweltbundesamt (Ed), Perspektiven fur die Verankerung des Nachhaltigkeitsleitbildes in der Umweltkommunikation - Chancen, Barrieren und Potenziale der Sozialwissenschaften ([Perspectives regarding the Anchorage of the Overall Concept of Sustainability within Environmental Communication - Chances, Barriers and Potentials of Social Sciences] Berlin, Germany: Erich Schmidt, 2001); & (9) Umweltbundesamt (Ed), Nachhaltige Konsummuster. Ein neues umweltpolitisches Handlungsfeld als Herausforderung fur die Umweltkommunikation. Mit einer Zielgruppenanalyse des Frankfurter Instituts fur sozialokologische Forschung (Sustainable Consumption Models. A New Environmental Action Field as Challenge for Environmental Communication. With a Target Group Analysis of the Frankfurt Institute of Social-Ecological Research] Berlin, Germany: Erich Schmidt, 2002).

Brian J. English.

Electronic Green Journal, December 2003

Examines how international aid agencies and NGOs interact with national policy makers and local communities in water management programs.

Jude L. Fernando.

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 590, pp. 6-256, November 2003

Examines the role of social and environmental justice, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and political economy; international perspective; 13 articles. Contents: Preface: the power of unsustainable development: what is to be done? by Jude L. Fernando; Toward just sustainability in urban communities: building equity rights with sustainable solutions, by Julian Agyeman and Tom Evans; NGOs and production of indigenous knowledge under the condition of postmodernity, by Jude L. Fernando; The links between poverty and the environment in urban areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, by David Satterthwaite; Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen as growth poles: regional industrial development in Thailand and its implications for urban sustainability, by Jim Glassman and Chris Sneddon; Sustainable development and urban growth in the Argentine Pampas region, by Jorge Morello, Silvia Diana Matteucci, and Andrea Rodríguez; Poverty, sustainability, and the culture of despair: can sustainable development strategies support poverty alleviation in America's most environmentally challenged communities? by Amy K. Glasmeier and Tracey L. Farrigan; Environmental activism and social networks: campaigning for bicycles and alternative transport in West London, by Simon Batterbury; Urbanization and the politics of land in the Manila region, by Philip F. Kelly; Neoliberalism and nature: the case of the WTO, by Elaine Hardwick and Richard Peet; NGOs, organizational culture, and institutional sustainability, by David Lewis; The paradox of sustainability: reflections on NGOs in Bangladesh, by Joseph Devine; An innovative combination of neoliberalism and state corporatism: the case of a locally based NGO in Mexico City, by Roger Magazine.

James S. Gardner and A. John Sinclair.

Canadian Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 24, No. 1, May 2003 2003. pp. 137-153.

The Kullu District in Himachal Pradesh, India, a Himalayan mountain area, has experienced rapid development in tourism, agriculture and hydro-electricity with substantial impact on the local society, economy, and environment. This paper describes a project undertaken in the area since 1994 by the Universities of Manitoba and Delhi involving collaborative research and action to promote environmental sustainability. Collaboration, in addition to that between the universities, involved government agencies, non-governmental organizations, unions, educational institutions, and local residents. The results of this field activity led to an evaluation of collaborative planning and development. Objectives relating to capacity building within the universities and action-research were achieved, whereas objectives relating to policy development in environmental sustainability were frustrated by the institutional context and a lack of time and resources.

Roberto P. Guimaraes.

Contemporary Politics, Vol. 10, No. 3-4, Sept-Dec 2004. pp. 203-225.

The current environmental crisis calls for a sustainable style of development & draws attention to a new ecological dimension in social life that poses hitherto unforeseen challenges to the social sciences & to the everyday concerns of citizens, governments, & private interests. Consequently, it is appropriate to attempt a critical overview of governance issues around the formation & implementation of environmental policies designed under the framework of sustainable development. After a brief introduction on how global perceptions about sustainable development have evolved, this article subsequently focuses attention on the main thrust of the emerging international environmental regime, & the multilateral environmental treaties embodied in it. Specific governance issues pertaining to environmental policies are also critically reviewed, particularly interrelations with the trade regime. The article concludes by spelling out some comments on research issues for the future, with a view to charting the environmental governance agenda lying ahead of us. Adapted from the source document.

Kempf Ronald Hope Sr.

Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, Vol. 18, No. 2, Apr 2005. pp. 283-311.

To accomplish the objectives & the outcomes of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), African leaders have agreed, among other things, to subject their countries to peer review through the use of a unique & innovative African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This paper analytically describes & assesses the APRM. It contends that peer review represents a sea of change in the thinking of African leaders as they seek to reverse the trend of lack of accountability, political authoritarianism, state failure, & corruption to embrace & consolidate democracy as well as effect sound & transparent economic management. It is further argued that peer review would provide a number of benefits to those countries that subject themselves to it & that, in turn, would have positive multiplier effects on Africa's development performance. 81 References. Adapted from the source document.

Kristine Kern and Tina Löffelsend.

Local Environ., Vol. 9, No. 5, Oct 2004. pp. 451-468.

After the end of the Cold War, the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) developed into a highly dynamic area of cross-border cooperation and transnational networking. Three forms of governance beyond the nation state and appropriate case studies are presented here: (1) the Helsinki Convention as an international regime; (2) Baltic 21, the world's first regional Agenda 21, as an international policy network; (3) the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) as a transnational network. The achievement of sustainable development in the BSR undoubtedly requires a fruitful combination of national governance and these forms of international and transnational governance. In this respect, international policy networks, such as Baltic 21, and transnational networks, such as the UBC, promise to provide new approaches that can complement international and intergovernmental cooperation between nation states. Furthermore, it must also be taken into account that governance in the BSR will soon become embedded in European governance and lead to the Europeanisation of the Baltic Sea Area.; Reprinted by permission of Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Antonio G. M. La Vina, Gretchen Hoff and Anne Marie DeRose.

SAIS Review, Vol. 23, No. 1, winter-spring 2003. pp. 53-70.

This article analyzes the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from late Aug to early Sept 2002. Convened 10 years after the UN Conference on Environment & Development in Rio, the WSSD was an attempt to move forward with sustainable development efforts by setting implementation strategies, answering questions of accountability, & forming partnerships that go beyond traditional boundaries. The Summit succeeded in achieving some of its goals, such as setting a time-bound sanitation target & recognizing the rights of communities in natural resource management. Yet it also had its share of failures, including the failure to address climate change & to reform global environmental governance. Finally, & perhaps most significantly, the extent & diversity of civil society engagement in the process set forth the challenge of overcoming divisions among governments, within civil society, & between governments & civil society to find a path to common solutions. Adapted from the source document.

Simon Lightfoot and Jon Burchell.

Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1, March 2005 2005. pp. 75-95.

The claim that the EU played a leadership role at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development is examined using the concept of normative power Europe. We examine how the EU operationalized the concept of sustainable development before questioning whether the EU represents a normative power in the field of sustainable development. In doing so, we address two key concerns. First, we question the depth of the current EU's commitment to sustainable development. Second, we raise a number of important theoretical questions regarding Ian Manners' broader application of the concept of normative power Europe.

Emile H. Malet and Thierry Naudin.

Defense Nationale, Vol. 61, No. 1, Jan 2005. pp. 95-107.

Because of great crises facing the world, including increased socioeconomic inequalities, global issues of pollution, & an asymmetric development between North & South, we must reflect on these complexities by crisscrossing economic, political, international, & ecological aspects. In France this is an ancient tradition: with the Global Forum on Sustainable Development looking toward its third meeting, December 2-3, 2005 in Paris, it is important to "civilize" globalization by assembling the principle figures for sustainable development & by encouraging thought about future generations, combining equity, efficiency & ethics. E. Sanchez.

Andrew C. Okolie.

Higher education, Vol. 46, No. 2, Sep 2003. pp. 235-260.

This article complements the critique of the development policies and practices implemented in Africa's local communities by African governments and international development agencies by linking them to a specific hegemonic form of knowledge and knowledge production which largely structures the way in which Africans, including African scholars, know development, Africa and the world. They often exclude, marginalize and inferiorize African traditions, knowledges and ways of knowing. With food policy making in Africa as a case, I examine how higher education is implicated in the process by which development knowledges are generated and become dominant in Africa as well as its consequences. Borrowing from critical theory I raise questions about which knowledges are promoted, privileged and become dominant and how. I argue that higher education in Africa should be rethought and restructured to better reflect the actual lived experiences of the vast majority of Africans. This requires that local communities, including their various segments, participate meaningfully in the generation of knowledge about their development to ensure the relevance and acceptance by the people of the policies and programs that these knowledges engender. Institutions of higher learning and research can do this by becoming true centres of critical inquiry into knowledges and ways of knowing, including non-hegemonic knowledges and ways of knowing in the West. They can facilitate this by creating spaces for the expropriation of what is suitable in modern science and technology and their re-articulation with elements of Africa's traditions, values, practices and relationship with nature in order to pursue development policies that are African-centred and sustainable.; Reprinted by permission of Springer

Tim O'Riordan.

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Vol. 29, No. 2, Jun 2004. pp. 234-247.

Research evidence and pleas that humans are undermining their own survival on a robust and unforgiving planet seem to be falling on deaf ears. The drive for economic and military security remains more powerful than the evidence that both of these objectives are being undermined by environmental damage, social disruption, unjust treatment and forced migration. Yet the signs are growing that environmentally and socially sound futures may be vital prerequisites for economic and military stability. So, at the heart of multi-nationalism, sustainable development is beginning to be recognized as a crucial element in reliable international agreements. The consequence of all this is that environmental science has become highly political, and geographers need to recognize and work within an expanding political process. Examples of new forms of governing via sustainability science for sustainable futures are offered in the latter part of the paper, especially at local government level. The antagonistic pressures of established power and economic hegemony are never far away. Indeed, the confirmation of these established patterns of power still pervades the politics of environmental science. But it is possible that these antagonistic political frameworks are beginning to be transcended by the more influential aspects of sustainability partnerships incorporating new arrangements between government, private capital and civil associations. These partnerships will not be easy to create, for they criss-cross boundaries of familiarity and rules of operation. But geographers can play a critical role in helping to shape them and assess the best circumstances for ensuring their success.; Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishers

Enrique S. Pumar.

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 25, No. 1-2, 2005. pp. 63-86.

The process by which sustainable development advocacy for Third World nations was institutionalized within the international development community is examined. The agencies involved & featured characteristics of three key periods in the institutionalization of sustainable development - the conceptualization of development knowledge by various environmentalists & intellectuals during the 1960s & early 1970s; the promotion of sustainable development via the media & international organizations between the 1970s & mid-1980s; & the institutionalization of sustainable development knowledge between the mid-1970s & early 1990s - are analyzed. The theoretical implications of this analysis for the production of development knowledge are highlighted, eg, social networks are important contributors to ideas about development & certain perspectives obstructed the formation of alternative understandings of development. Recommendations for future research are also offered, eg, the extent of contention between competing knowledge-producing social & intellectual networks. 48 References. J. W. Parker.

N. H. Rao, J. C. Katyal and M. N. Reddy.

Outlook Agric., Vol. 33, No. 3, Sep 2004. pp. 167-176.

Concerns for long-term food security and the sustainability of agriculture are forcing international and national agricultural research organizations to reorient their research goals, programmes and projects to ensure that the sustainability perspective underlies all of them. This requires a major paradigm shift in agricultural research planning and management. This paper develops an analytical framework for agricultural research management that can guide a transition from research directed towards productivity goals alone to that which addresses productivity issues, keeping sustainability concerns in sight. The framework is built on a realistic assessment of food demands and supplies, trade-offs between agricultural production increases and the quality of the natural resource base, the capabilities of emerging technologies and the overall profitability of agriculture. The development of such a framework is illustrated by considering the situation in India as a case study. It is suggested that, in the Indian context, embedding sustainability concerns into agricultural research requires interactions between research with a cropping systems perspective at the farm level, a regional natural resource management perspective with a relatively short-term focus on profitability, and a longer-term focus on environmental health at the agroecosystem level. The implications for management of such research are discussed.; Reprinted by permission of IP Publishing Ltd

Blake D. Ratner.

Population Research and Policy Review, Vol. 23, No. 1, Feb 2004. pp. 55-71.

If social scientists are to provide a more useful contribution to international debates over population & environment, we must find ways to combine the insights of our competing theoretical traditions. Political economy, rational choice, & cultural institutionalist perspectives are each associated with a different assessment & characterization of the population "problem," as well as divergent strategies of response, prioritizing in turn the goals of equity, efficiency, & cultural identity. The principal argument of this paper is that these three perspectives, & the goals that they embody, are like the three legs of a stool; none is sufficient & each is necessary to uphold socially acceptable responses to population growth in the context of broader challenges of sustainability. Each perspective is reviewed in turn, distinguishing narrow & polarizing applications that trivialize the way social & economic systems rely on the natural environment from applications that are useful in fashioning a more integrated approach. The paper concludes with reflections on how this approach may support & enrich a focus on sustainable livelihoods in development planning. 1 Table, 1 Figure, 33 References. Adapted from the source document.

John M. Shandra, Bruce London and John B. Williamson.

Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 46, No. 3, fall 2003. pp. 309-329.

This is the first quantitative, cross-national study that incorporates predictors designed to test hypotheses linking overurbanization to environmentally induced migration. The study is based on a sample of 58 developing countries using lagged dependent variable panel regression. Our major findings are quite clear with respect to newer rural-push & urban-pull arguments that developing countries suffering from various forms of environmental degradation are prone to overurbanization. Deforestation exerts a positive & significant effect on overurbanization, whereas environmental sustainability exerts a negative & significant effect on overurbanization. In addition, our results support hypotheses derived from the political modernization perspective that civil society & democratic regimes help to reduce overurbanization, as well as hypotheses suggested by neo-Malthusian theory that high levels of population growth contribute to high levels of overurbanization. We also find support for dependency theory in that transnational economic linkages based on multinational corporations & international lending institutions foster increased overurbanization in the developing world. 2 Tables, 66 References. Adapted from the source document.

Janet Strachan and Maryse Roberts.

Round table, Vol. 371, No. , Sep 2003. pp. 541-559.

The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, speaks to many elements of the Commonwealth Secretariat's work, including substantial programmes on conflict prevention and resolution, governance, human rights, trade, finance for development, gender mainstreaming, health and education. More deeply integrated approaches addressing all three pillars of sustainable development are needed and these programmes will be reviewed in the light of priorities identified by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and considered within relevant Commonwealth Ministerial fora. This article focuses on environment-related work that could be implemented by the Secretariat in response to the Summit, and reviews recent work linked to specific aspects of the Plan of Implementation across all three pillars of sustainable development.; Reprinted by permission of Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd.