Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction: Form and Function in Governance for Sustainable Development
William M. Lafferty
2. Implementation Theory and the Challenge of Sustainable Development: The Transformative Role of Learning
Laurence J. O’Toole, Jr
3. Adapting Form to Function? From Economic to Sustainable Development Governance in the European Union
Elizabeth Bomberg
4. Management by Objectives: A Comparison of Dutch, Swedish and EU Strategies for Realising Sustainable Development
Lennart J. Lundqvist
5. ‘Sustainability is Cool’: Rhetorical Participatory Discourse in the Spanish Strategy for Sustainable Development
Susana Aguilar Fernández
6. Participation and Sustainable Development: Modes of Citizen, Community and Organisational Involvement
James Meadowcroft
7. From Environmental Protection to Sustainable Development: The Challenge of Decoupling through Sectoral Integration
William M. Lafferty
8. Partners for Progress? The Role of Business in Transcending Business as Usual
Audun Ruud
9. Governance by Diffusion: Implementing Global Norms through Cross-National Imitation and Learning
Helge Jörgens
10. Implementing Sustainable Development: How to Know What Works, Where, When and How
Hans T.A. Bressers
11. Governance for Sustainable Development: Lessons and Implications
William M. Lafferty
Index

This book is an original study of the challenge of implementing sustainable development in Western democracies. It highlights the obstacles which sustainable development presents for strategic governance and critically examines how these problems can best be overcome in a variety of different political contexts.
The renowned international contributors, including leading policy experts, try to identify the forms of governance necessary to realize the functions of sustainable development. With the help of detailed case studies, they document and analyze specific governance mechanisms for pursuing and achieving this aim. They move on to offer clearly formulated conclusions on the relationship between the demands of sustainable development and the current norms and practices of Western democracy. The book also raises the fundamental question of whether change can ever be achieved if the overriding goal of development is not firmly stated as ‘sustainability’ rather than ‘business as usual’.
This book offers a balanced focus on the difficulties and successes of promoting sustainable development through strategic governance. It will be of particular relevance to those interested in the institutional mechanisms of governance and policy implementation. The book will also appeal to scholars and students of political science, organizational studies and business administration, and policymakers and NGOs directly involved in the task of implementing sustainable development. ---provided by publisher