Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability (Routledge Studies in Development and Society)

The imperative of the twenty-first century is sustainability: to raise the living standards of the world's poor and to achieve and maintain high levels of social health among the affluent nations while simultaneously reducing and reversing the environmental damage wrought by human activity. Scholars and practitioners are making progress toward environmental and economic sustainability, but we have very little understanding of the social dimension of sustainability. This volume is an ambitious, multi-disciplinary effort to identify the key elements of social sustainability through an examination of what motivates its pursuit and the conditions that promote or detract from its achievement. Included are theoretical and empirical pieces; examination of international and local efforts; discussions highlighting experiences in both the developing and industrialized nations; and a substantial focus on business practices. Contributors are grounded in sociology, economics, business administration, public administration, public health, geography, education and natural resource management. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Figures......Page 12 Tables......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 1 Introduction......Page 18 Part I: Overviews of the Field......Page 30 2 Emergent Principles of Social Sustainability......Page 32 3 An Inquiry Into the Theoretical Basis of Sustainability: Ten Propositions......Page 62 4 An Antidote to a Partial Economics of Sustainability......Page 100 Part II: International Perspectives......Page 112 5 Global Civil Society: Architect and Agent of International Democracy and Sustainability......Page 114 6 In the Absence of Affluence: The Struggle for Social Sustainability in the Third World......Page 139 7 Child Labor and Improved Common Forest Management in Bolivia......Page 154 Part III: The Role of Business......Page 172 8 Social Sustainability: An Organizational-Level Analysis......Page 174 9 Social Sustainability: One Company's Story......Page 191 10 Working out Social Sustainability on the Ground......Page 216 11 Triple Bottom Line: A Business Metaphor for a Social Construct......Page 228 Part IV: Local Applications......Page 248 12 Exploring Common Ground: Community Food Systems and Social Sustainability......Page 250 13 Social Capital and Community: University Partnerships......Page 265 14 Advancing Social Sustainability: An Intervention Approach......Page 281 Part V: Integration and Conclusion......Page 300 15 Reflection and Directions for the Future......Page 302 Contributors......Page 308 Index......Page 312 Explicitly addressing both the macro and micro dimensions of social sustainability, this book outlines the theoretical and practical possibilities. As a contribution to sustainable development, the book will be useful in the practice, teaching and academic research of this nascent field

This landmark volume is the first to explicitly address the macro and micro dimensions of social sustainability and outline the theoretical and practical possibilities. It is an essential contribution to sustainable development and will be indispensabl