CDO 111: Development Practices & Sustainability - Lecture 7: Social Sustainability Principles

Recap of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • The lecture begins with a recap of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • The 17 SDGs are:
    1. No Poverty
    2. Zero Hunger
    3. Good Health and Well-being
    4. Quality Education
    5. Gender Equality
    6. Clean Water and Sanitation
    7. Affordable and Clean Energy
    8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
    9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    10. Reduced Inequalities
    11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
    12. Responsible Consumption and Production
    13. Climate Action
    14. Life Below Water
    15. Life on Land
    16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
    17. Partnerships for the Goals

SDGs from Another Perspective

  • The SDGs are categorized into:
    • Economy: Economic Growth, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
    • Society: No Poverty, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality
    • Biosphere: Affordable and Clean Energy, Life on Land, Life Below Water, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action
    • Partnerships for the Goals spans across all categories.

Principles of Sustainability

  • The three pillars of sustainable development are:
    1. Economic sustainability: Aims to reduce extreme poverty and guarantee fair paid employment for all.
    2. Environmental sustainability: Aims to protect the natural balance of the planet, while limiting the impact of human activities on the environment.
    3. Social sustainability: Aims to guarantee access to basic resources and services for all.
  • Sustainable development is economically efficient, ecologically sustainable, and socially equitable.

Social Development (SD) History Recap

  • Social development agenda began in the mid-20th century after the establishment of institutions like the UN.
  • The prevailing model of economic development often saw social dynamics as obstacles to accelerating progress toward modernization.
  • 1960s: Development philosophers recognized local context and social factors influenced the success of development efforts.
  • 1970s & 1980s: Social concerns took on a more clear and operational focus; targeted programs addressed the fact that excluded and vulnerable groups often did not benefit from development or were even undermined by it.
  • World Bank increased focus on women in development to manage social risks better in projects involving resettlement issues and indigenous peoples.
  • Late 1980s & 1990s: A consensus emerged around putting people at the center of development.
  • World Bank efforts included social funds, gender equality, and community-driven development, emphasizing participatory approaches and local decision making.
  • In 2000, the UN MDGs led to major shifts in mainstream development thought, moving beyond narrow monetary definitions of poverty and promoting social concepts like inclusion, voice, empowerment, equity, & gender equality.
  • World Bank, in 2013: Corporate strategy emphasized all 3 pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social—as critical for the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.
  • 2015 UN SDGs further acknowledged social issues as central to development.
  • UN Policy Statement: ‘We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace’
  • Growing recognition that how development occurs matters greatly.
  • How governments & development organizations navigate and manage the social dynamics of change has important implications for achieving and sustaining poverty reduction and inclusive growth.
  • For the last 75 years, social sustainability has taken a back seat to [economic] growth &, more recently, the environment.
  • Despite growing recognition of its importance, however, there is less clarity over what social sustainability is and how it can best be pursued.

Social Development Today

  • The world is becoming more divided, polarized, and unequal, with exclusion and vulnerability compounded by persistent shocks, discrimination, conflict, and climate change.
  • The pace of poverty reduction has slowed and reversed in 2020 and remains threatened by economic slowdown.
  • Lingering effects of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine are major factors.
  • Progress on global inequality has also deteriorated.
  • Gaps between the ultra-rich, the middle class, and the poor continue to widen, all exacerbated by climate change.
  • Climate effects are expected to push hundreds of millions of people into poverty and forced migration.
  • Efforts to respond to these issues are increasingly challenged by rising tensions, social fragmentation, and a weakening social contract in every institution.
  • Conflicts are becoming more common, complex, and long-lasting, and nearly half of the global poor now live in economies affected by fragility, conflict, and violence.
  • Evidence suggests that social unrest is rising, trust in public institutions is declining globally, and social media as well as unequal access to the digital economy are driving a wedge between communities and eroding the social fabric.
  • An estimated 2.3 billion people - approximately one-third of humanity - is at risk of social exclusion due to economic status, gender and gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
  • Addressing these challenges requires socially sustainable solutions. Growth, while necessary, is not sufficient; the social sustainability of policies, programs, and outcomes must also be central.
  • Although many known policies are effective at promoting these goals (e.g:, low-carbon growth strategies, & human capital investments, etc.), they are unlikely to emerge on their own in sufficient scope.
  • While important progress has been made, much work remains to be done, and social sustainability is now at a crucial point.

What is Social Sustainability?

  • Social Sustainability in a laymen's term can be defined as an aspect of sustainability that relates to people.
  • Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes: systems; structures; and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and livable communities.
  • Socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected and democratic and provide a good quality of life.
  • Social sustainability is a process for creating sustainable successful places that promote wellbeing, by understanding what people need from the places they live and work.
  • Social sustainability combines design of the physical realm with design of the social world – infrastructure to support social and cultural life, social amenities, systems for citizen engagement, and space for people and places to evolve.

Explanation of Social Sustainability

  • Barron, et. al, (2023) explanation of social sustainability is grounded in the [academic] literature but aligned with global development priorities and World Bank institutional objectives:
  • ‘Social sustainability increases when more people feel part of the development process and believe that they and their descendants will benefit from it’.
  • ‘Communities and societies that are more socially sustainable are more willing and able to work together to overcome challenges, deliver public goods, and allocate scarce resources in ways perceived to be legitimate and fair so that all people may thrive over time’.
  • This definition highlights four (4) critical components of social sustainability: social cohesion, inclusion, resilience, & process legitimacy.

Four Critical Components of Social Sustainability:

  1. Social Cohesion
    • Social cohesion is a sense of shared purpose, trust, and willingness to cooperate among members of a given group, between members of different groups, and between people and the state for a common good.
    • Social cohesion allows people to work together and respond to challenges, while avoiding conflict, crafting solutions, and forging sustainable compromises.
    • Cohesion is increasingly seen as both a means and an end for development and as important for a range of outcomes, including peace, trust, and prosperity.
    • In PNG - through various community-based initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening relationships, promoting peace, and fostering a sense of belonging. The efforts involve local leaders, faith-based organizations, and civil society groups working collaboratively to address conflict, build resilience, and improve governance.
  2. Inclusion
    • Inclusive societies are those where everyone has access to basic services and markets as well as to political, social, and cultural spaces in order to participate in society with agency and live with dignity.
    • Many individuals and groups face constraints to socio-economic participation beyond poverty and inequality.
    • Exclusion and discrimination can be due to gender, age, location, occupation, race, ethnicity, religion, citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
    • In PNG, inclusivity is demonstrated through various initiatives focusing on education, community participation, and addressing social inequalities. These efforts aim to ensure everyone has the same opportunities and rights, regardless of their background or abilities.
    • Examples of inclusive practices in PNG include diverse hiring policies, multicultural festivals celebrating various backgrounds, and accessible public transportation and inclusive education programs.
    • The Bank of PNG also emphasizes the importance of social inclusion through its GESI policy, which aims to reduce inequality and exclusion.
    • UNICEF is working with the PNG government to ensure children with disabilities have access to education
  3. Resilience
    • Resilient societies are those where everyone, including poor and marginalized groups, are safe and can withstand shocks and protect the integrity of their culture.
    • Resilience is the ability, capacity, and flexibility to prepare for, cope with, recover from, and adapt to shocks over time.
    • Risk reduction and mitigation are preparation measures that aim to lower the probability that shocks will occur or to mitigate their negative impacts if they do.
    • Resilience has strong links to cohesion and inclusion: building and maintaining social relations and network structures enhance resilience, while exclusion and discrimination leave people more vulnerable.
    • Resilience also matters for economic and environmental sustainability; when shocks occur, resilience can determine the difference between swift recovery and prolonged crisis.
    • In PNG, resilience efforts focus on empowering communities to withstand and recover from climate change and natural disasters.
    • This includes developing disaster risk reduction plans, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and strengthening social connections. Key examples include climate-resilient agriculture, disaster-preparedness training, and partnerships with organizations like IOM and CARE.
  4. Process Legitimacy
    • Process legitimacy - the procedures for managing change that engage with local norms and values, and reconcile opposing viewpoints, in order to arrive at decisions perceived to be sufficiently fair, credible, and acceptable by a community or society.
    • Process legitimacy is the extent to which a community or society accepts who has authority, what goals are formulated, and how policies and programs get implemented. It also encompasses the approaches for reconciling disagreements or tensions, especially among those who stand to bear the greatest cost.
    • In PNG, social legitimacy is often tied to kinship systems, traditional authority structures, and customary laws.
    • For example, the "wantok" system, where individuals are expected to support their kin, is a strong source of social legitimacy, influencing everything from economic assistance to conflict resolution.
    • Additionally, traditional chiefs and elders retain significant influence, and their decisions are often considered legitimate based on their role within the community.

Importance of Social Sustainability

  • Social sustainability matters for individual and for society. It also matters for organizations, including business. They have the capacity to shape change, and to benefit from it.
  • Employees, suppliers, and partners who feel respected and safe are more loyal and productive.
  • Unequal societies dampen long-term economic growth.
  • Social Sustainability and Inclusion focuses on the need to “put people first” in development processes.
  • It promotes social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people, building cohesive and resilient societies, and making institutions accessible and accountable to citizens.

How can Organizations Achieve Social Sustainability?

  • Stakeholders – are people who affect or are affected by an organization. They fall into 2 broad categories.
  • There are stakeholders inside a company (or its supply or value chain), such as employees, suppliers, and consumers. Then there are outside stakeholders, including the local community and even broader society.
  1. Act with Internal Stakeholders: Employees & the Supply Chain
    • Leaders should emphasize that employee rights are of material importance in the supply chain - that they’re not secondary to financial goals. (Remember, treating workers well will also benefit the company).
    • Businesses priorities 3 areas related to internal stakeholders:
      1. Health & safety practices - e.g: effective, comfortable and appropriate health and safety equipment for all.
      2. Equality, diversity & inclusion - e.g: equal employment opportunities and progression for all groups without prejudice.
      3. Fair labor practices - e.g: equal pay and working conditions, freedom of association, no coercion or harassment in the workplace.
  2. Act with Outside Stakeholders: in Community & Society
    • In communities, companies often seek to be “good neighbours”: cleaning up after themselves, looking after others in crisis, and contributing to general economic prosperity.
    • Companies also have political influence, as they may shape laws and regulations. In countries where governments struggle, companies can almost act as private governments, addressing a social welfare like schooling or medical care. These actions can be more controversial, with different people having strong opinions about how companies intervene.

Role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept where businesses voluntarily integrate social and environmental concerns into their operations and interactions with stakeholders.
  • Beyond solely pursuing profits, CSR emphasizes giving back to the community, promoting ethical practices, and being accountable for the company’s impact on people and the planet.
  • CSR business practice based around the impacts an organization has on society (employees, customers and members of the community around their business operations).
  • A business might implement a CSR strategy with an aim to create a fairer business environment for its employees, reduce their impact on the local environment by reducing pollution or support charity initiatives that aid local communities
  • CSR initiatives, such as supporting local communities, promoting fair labour practices, and prioritizing employee well-being, lead to improved societal outcomes. Companies that engage in socially responsible practices foster positive relationships with their stakeholders and gain trust from customers.

What is Social Development?

  • Social Development is about improving the well-being of every individual in society so that they can reach their full potential. The success of society is linked to the well-being of each and every citizen.
  • Social Development means investing in people. It requires the removal of barriers so that all citizens can journey toward their dreams with confidence and dignity. It is about refusing to accept that people who live in poverty will always be poor. It is about helping people so they can move forward on their path to self-sufficiency.

Examples of Social Issues

  • Unemployment
  • Homelessness
  • Drug abuse
  • Affordable Housing
  • Poverty
  • Water scarcity
  • Mental health
  • Climate Change
  • Racism
  • Environmental degradation
  • Economic inequality
  • Healthcare
  • Obesity
  • Sexual abuse
  • Corruption
  • Gender inequality
  • Overpopulation
  • Immigration
  • Violence
  • Crime
  • Discrimination
  • Education

Solutions to Social Problems

  • Addressing social problems requires a multifaceted approach involving various stakeholders, policies, and initiatives. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
  • Strategies that can help tackle social problems include:
    1. Education & Awareness
    2. Poverty Alleviation
    3. Access to Healthcare
    4. Mental Health Support
    5. Equal Opportunities & Inclusivity
    6. Community Engagement
    7. Legislation & Policy Change
    8. Support for Vulnerable Groups
    9. Conflict Resolution & Mediation
    10. Environmental Sustainability
    11. Promotion of empowerment
    12. Investment in Infrastructure
    13. Public-Private-Partnership
    14. Data-Driven Decision-Making
    15. Civic Engagement