Why Organization May Be the Primary Limitation to Implementing Sustainability at the Local Level: Examples from Swedish Case Studies

Sammanfattning

Much of the effort to address environmental issues at the local level has focused on defining principles and aims rather than addressing the operational difficulties of implementation. Drawing upon insights from sustainability scholarship, this study reviews two cases: the development of a Swedish standard for implementing sustainable development at municipality, county council, and regional levels, and attempts by a small rural municipality to establish a process towards implementing the Aalborg Commitments. The research illustrates the specific organizational and managerial complexity of these case study experiences. It concludes that an organizational focus on integration and mainstreaming deserves particular attention to achieve broader sustainability, or related environmental or adaptation goals. The results, in particular, highlight the role that integrated management systems can play for sustainability work at the local level.

Nyckelord

sustainability; Sweden; local level; public management; integrated management systems; organization

Publicerad i

Resources
2017, volym: 6, nummer: 1, artikelnummer: 13

SLU författare

• Keskitalo, Carina

  • Umeå Universitet

• Andersson, Elias

  • Institutionen för skoglig resurshushållning, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG13 Bekämpa klimatförändringarna

UKÄ forskningsämne

Studier av offentlig förvaltning
Tvärvetenskapliga studier
Statsvetenskap (Exklusive freds- och konfliktforskning)

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6010013

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/83047