Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability

by Dillard; Jesse

• ISBN13: 9780415964654
• ISBN10: 0415964652
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

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.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. xi
List of Tables	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Overviews of the Field
Emergent Principles of Social Sustainability	p. 15
An Inquiry Into the Theoretical Basis of Sustainability: Ten Propositions	p. 45
An Antidote to a Partial Economics of Sustainability	p. 83
International Perspectives
Global Civil Society: Architect and Agent of International Democracy and Sustainability	p. 97
In the Absence of Affluence: The Struggle for Social Sustainability in the Third World	p. 122
Child Labor and Improved Common Forest Management in Bolivia	p. 137
The Role of Business
Social Sustainability: An Organizational-Level Analysis	p. 157
Social Sustainability: One Company's Story	p. 174
Working out Social Sustainability on the Ground	p. 199
Triple Bottom Line: A Business Metaphor for a Social Construct	p. 211
Local Applications
Exploring Common Ground: Community Food Systems and Social Sustainability	p. 233
Social Capital and Community: University Partnerships	p. 248
Advancing Social Sustainability: An Intervention Approach	p. 264
Integration and Conclusion
Reflection and Directions for the Future	p. 285
Contributors	p. 291
Index	p. 295
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