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.
Author(s): Jesse Dillard, Veronica Dujon, Mary C. King
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 316
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
