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Learnings from emerging implementation of strategic sustainable development in a regional context– the case of Åland
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Strategic Sustainable Development.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9602-4135
Åland University of Applied Sciences.
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Strategic Sustainable Development. Acadia University.
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Strategic Sustainable Development.
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2022 (English)In: PROCEEDINGS of the 28th Annual Conference, International Sustainable Development Research Society: Sustainable Development and Courage: Culture, Art and Human Rights / [ed] Peter Dobers, Malin Gawell, Gärde, Stockholm: Södertörns högskola, 2022Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

An implementation model for a systemic, systematic, and strategic approach to integrate sustainability across sectors has been tested and developed further within a four-years action research project. Valuable insights on how the approach can be best introduced to facilitate broad application can be gained already from test uses of the preliminary model and this study aims to evaluate and learn from one of the regions participating, Åland (an autonomous protectorate of the Republic of Finland). With a comprehensive sustainability initiative for the whole community, including funding and human resources in place, Åland had particularly favourable conditions and came out as best practice in the research project. We examined what had been done and how initiatives have been received through interviews with process leaders and stakeholders from different sectors of society and through desktop reviews. Key success factors and challenges for the work were put in relation to elements of the implementation model. Indeed, the work has come a long way in terms of collaboration platforms and structures, and much can be learnt from at the Åland case. However, parts of the strategic sustainable development (SSD) perspective are seemingly forgotten or in hibernation. Reintroducing and reinforcing concrete SSD informed processes and support could arguably address several of the expressed challenges while making use of key success factors, such as the capacity building centre.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Södertörns högskola, 2022.
Keywords [en]
Urban transition, Strategic sustainable development, Municipalities and Regions
National Category
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Research subject
Strategic Sustainable Development
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-24350ISBN: 978-91-89504-17-2 (electronic)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-24350DiVA, id: diva2:1741631
Conference
28th Annual Conference, International Sustainable Development Research Society in Stockholm, Sweden, June 15-17, 2022.
Available from: 2023-03-06 Created: 2023-03-06 Last updated: 2023-03-21Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Methodological support for strategic sustainable development work in municipalities and regions
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Methodological support for strategic sustainable development work in municipalities and regions
2023 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Municipal and regional actors have key roles to play in society’s transition to sustainability. However, co-creating sustainable visions and effective governance towards these is a complex challenge and decision-makers often lack an overarching systems perspective. This can lead to solutions in one area causing problems in another, unnecessary goal conflicts, and slow progress. Despite some progress in addressing sustainability issues, capacity to coordinate efforts across sectors to address the full scope of the challenge is often missing. 

The primary aim of this work was to explore how leaders in municipalities and regions can be sufficiently supported in their missions to enhance cross-sectoral strategic sustainable development (SSD) work. This was pursued together with eight Swedish municipalities, two Swedish regions, one Finnish region, and the Swedish eco-municipalities network. An action research project was carried out in two phases over a total of seven years. 

The first phase involved investigating, through focus group discussions, practitioners’ perspectives on what hinders and enables effective sustainability transitions. This revealed a reductionist view also on barriers and enablers and confirmed the need for a more holistic systems perspective. 

The action research included testing of a preliminary model for implementation of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) in support of long-term SSD work across sectors. The model was evaluated through observations, dialogues, round-table discussions and a survey, regarding strengths, weaknesses, barriers, and enablers, and was found to be helpful as an illustration of how such work could ideally play out in municipal and regional contexts. However, without external expert facilitators, the work with the model was seen to fade out and needs for complementary tools to avoid that were identified, developed, and combined with the implementation model into a support portfolio. A key asked-for support was ways to involve and engage top leaders into active participation upfront and an approach to achieve this was explored together with one of the participating municipalities. Furthermore, a vagueness in how social sustainability is approached was frequently observed, which called for a study to build a nuanced understanding of municipal social sustainability work.

The second phase of the action research project included a deepened case study of the Finnish region. Despite advanced collaboration platforms and structures, parts of the SSD approach still seemed to have eroded somewhat over time. This circumstance, and other observations, lead to a study of what is required for long-term continuation of SSD work in municipalities and regions, resulting in eight conditions for continuity to be regularly considered.

The combination of the FSSD as core, its implementation model, complementary tools, and the eight conditions for continuity constitutes a support portfolio for SSD work in municipalities and regions as a final collective contribution of this thesis work. This will be further tested and refined in new contextual settings.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlskrona: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, 2023
Series
Blekinge Institute of Technology Doctoral Dissertation Series, ISSN 1653-2090 ; 3
Keywords
sustainability, strategic sustainable development, cross-sectoral collaboration, action research, municipalities and regions, methodological support
National Category
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Research subject
Strategic Sustainable Development
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:bth-24352 (URN)978-91-7295-452-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-05-05, J1630 + Zoom, Campus Karlskrona, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2023-03-21 Created: 2023-03-07 Last updated: 2023-04-14Bibliographically approved

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Wälitalo, LisaCallaghan, EdithRobèrt, Karl-HenrikBroman, Göran

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