The identity crisis of sustainable development
| Pages | 4-15 |
| Date | 01 April 2014 |
| Published date | 01 April 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-08-2013-0033 |
| Author | Catalin Ratiu,Beverlee B. Anderson |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental technology & innovation |
The identity crisis of sustainable
development
Catalin Ratiu and Beverlee B. Anderson
California State University, San Marcos, California, USA
Abstract
Purpose – There are manydifferent conceptualizationsto sustainable developmentand these different
approaches may have led to confusion amongst the public. The purpose of this paper is to explore
the identities of the term and how the confused identity may be leading to problems for sustainable
development efforts.
Design/methodology/approach – The design is exploratory, using both secondary and primary
data to understand the different sustainable development concepts.
Findings – There is no consistent understanding or use of the term “sustainable development” among
various groups.
Research limitations/implications – Future research should include a larger sample that is more
representative of people from different backgrounds and geographical areas.
Practical implications – The public is generally willingto support only projects that it understands.
Without a clear understanding of sustainable development, the public will be less inclined to support
these efforts.
Originality/value – This study examines the perceptions and understandings of the term by the
general public representing different generations.
Keywords Development, Development policies
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The words “sustainability” and “sustainable development” have become more fashionable
in the last decade. There are numerous conferences with “sustainability” in their titles.
In fact, the Conference Alert web site identifies 119 sustainable development conferences
worldwide between February and December 2013. The number of publications and
articles related to sustainable development has increased significantly, in many
disciplines. With all of these conferences and publications, one would assume that there
is a common understanding of the terms and their meaning amongst the general public.
However, in discussions with non-academic and individuals not involved with sustainable
development, it seems there is no clear consensus of what the terms mean.
The importance of building meaning based on a shared understanding of the
terminology in the area of sustainable developmentcannot be overstated. As sustainable
development has become a worldwide imperative, governments are enacting policies,
organizations are developing strategies, infrastructures are built, products and services
are developed, resources are reallocated, and so forth. All these adjustments are made
according to what each of the actors understands sustainable development to mean for
their activity. But a lack of shared understanding can lead to ambiguity, disagreement,
even conflict among actors perceived to be working towards similar goals. Norton and
Toman (1997) argued that lack of conceptual clarity goes beyond disciplines and affects
how we define sustainable development generally, and how we assess it within our area
of application specifically.
With this background, the exploratory research described in this paper was
undertaken. We approach sustainable development from the perspective and under the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5945.htm
WorldJour nal of Science, Technology
and Sustainable Development
Vol. 11 No. 1, 2014
pp. 4-15
rEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited
2042-5945
DOI 10.1108/W JSTSD-08-2013-0033
4
WJSTSD
11,1
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