Sustainable Development, Evaluation and Policy-Making


Book Description

This pathbreaking book contributes to the discourse of evidence-based policy-making. It does so by combining the two issues of policy evaluation and sustainable development linking both to the policy-cycle. It covers contributions: · examining the perception of sustainability problems, which analyse the relationship between sustainability and assessment; · highlighting the role of evaluation and impact assessment studies during policy formulation; · looking at policy implementation by examining sustainability and impact assessment systems in different application areas; · addressing policy reformulation presenting monitoring and quality improvement schemes; · discussing quality of sustainability evaluations studies. Providing theoretic insights, reflections and case studies, this novel study will prove essential to postgraduate students, practitioners, policymakers and researchers in the area of sustainable development, policy-making and evaluation.




Economic Evaluation of Sustainable Development


Book Description

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book presents methods to evaluate sustainable development using economic tools. The focus on sustainable development takes the reader beyond economic growth to encompass inclusion, environmental stewardship and good governance. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for outcomes. In illustrating the SDGs, the book employs three evaluation approaches: impact evaluation, cost-benefit analysis and objectives-based evaluation. The innovation lies in connecting evaluation tools with economics. Inclusion, environmental care and good governance, thought of as “wicked problems”, are given centre stage. The book uses case studies to show the application of evaluation tools. It offers guidance to evaluation practitioners, students of development and policymakers. The basic message is that evaluation comes to life when its links with socio-economic, environmental, and governance policies are capitalized on.




Integrated Policymaking for Sustainable Development


Book Description

This manual draws on recent advances in public policy science as well as the decades-long experience of UNEP and other organizations in the field of sustainability-motivated policy assessment. By using a "building blocks" concept, it builds on the approach proposed in the UNEP Guidance Manual "Integrated Assessment: Mainstreaming Sustainability into Policymaking". It suggests using sustainable development as a major filter for prioritizing competing issues and for deciding on policy choices. The manual is expected to prove useful to policymakers and analysts, and will motivate its audience to adopt an integrated approach to policymaking and to play a role in a more intelligent management of human, financial and natural capital as a step towards achieving the Green Economy of the 21st century.




Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Decision-Making


Book Description

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Decision-Making: Methodologies and Case Studies gives readers a comprehensive introduction to life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) methodology for sustainability measurement of industrial systems, proposing an efficiency methodology for stakeholders and decision-makers. Featuring the latest methods and case studies, the book will assist researchers in environmental sciences and energy to develop the best methods for LCA, as well as aiding those practitioners who are responsible for making decisions for promoting sustainable development. The past, current status and future of LCSA, Life Cycle Assessment method (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), the methodology of LCSA, typical LCSA case studies, limitations of LCSA, and life cycle aggregated sustainability index methods are all covered in this multidisciplinary book. Includes models for assessing sustainability in environmental, energy engineering and economic scenarios Features case studies that help define the advantages and obstacles of real world applications Presents a complete view, from theory to practice, of a life cycle approach by exploring the methods and tools of sustainability assessment, analysis and design of sustainability assessment




Sustainability Assessment


Book Description

Currently the writing on the subject is limited and comprises, for the most part, guidance documents and completed assessments.




Sustainability Assessment


Book Description

Sustainability Assessment is a comprehensive compilation of all the known policy factors related to sustainability. This book outlines all of the elements and considerations of community aspects of policy evaluation in an effort to reduce the future consequences on resources and environmental sustainability. The basic assumption behind it is that sustainability, though oriented to resources and meeting demands, starts from formulation of policy. Policies are so interrelated that all policies have some roles to play toward sustainability. Helps policymakers integrate the objectives of sustainability into policy actions in a given socio-political environment and plan a strategy for policy implementation Includes some policy factors that have not been discussed in other texts




Evaluation of the Built Environment for Sustainability


Book Description

Sustainability in the built environment is a major issue facing policy-makers, planners, developers and designers in the UK, Europe and worldwide. The measuring of buildings and cities for sustainability becomes increasingly important as pressure for green, sustainable development translates into policy and legislation. The problems of such measurement and evaluation are presented by the authors in contributions which move from the general to the particular, e.g. from a general framework for an environmentally sustainable form of urban development to a specific input-output model application to environmental problems. The book is divided into three parts: the first covers city models and sustainable systems - research programmes, environmental policies, green corporations and collaborative strategies to make urban development more sustainable; part two discusses the problems of evaluating the built environment in planning and construction, covering economic and environmental methods and construction, development and regeneration processes; part three illustrates a number of applications using different approaches and techniques and referring to a range of environmental aspects of the natural and built environment, from maintaining historic buildings to transport management and air pollution monitoring.




Sustainable development in Europe


Book Description

Evaluating sustainable development is becoming increasingly important in policy making, evaluation practice and the scientific world in general. However, at present, there is neither a generally accepted set of measures and evaluation methods, nor specific standards to be met. Sustainable Development in Europe addresses these issues and presents an important and concise analysis of state-of-the-art sustainable development evaluation policies, programmes and projects currently at work in Europe.




Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment


Book Description

The first edition was extremely well received, providing an introduction and insight to this important topic in a comprehensive yet easy to read form. It was chosen to be issued to the representatives of the organizations from the G8 and G20 countries attending the University Summit held in Turin in 2009 which addressed the issue of how education and research can assist sustainable development. The second edition, completely updated to reflect the significant advances and new insights that have been made since publication of the first edition, focuses on two main issues: Facilitating a dialogue between all stakeholders so that the complexity of the problem can be exposed, structured and communicated Understanding how to assess progress in sustainable development It continues to provide coherent guidance on the techniques that can be used to assess sustainable development in a rigorous manner. The approach is introduced using illustrations and case studies, together with follow-up references. It remains the ideal starting point for those trying to get a handle on the subject and for those who wish to examine a structured and systematic approach to the evaluation of sustainable development in the built environment.




Impact Assessment and Sustainable Development


Book Description

'Impact assessment of various types is now a widely used policy tool. This volume helpfully brings together conceptual discussions and case-studies to illustrate how impact assessment can be used to address issues of sustainability. It should be of considerable interest both to academic researchers and to practitioners concerned with the implementation of policies to support sustainable development.' - John Weiss, University of Bradford, UK The translation of the principle of sustainable development into policy and practice, and the evaluation of the outcomes of these strategic interventions, are some of the most pressing challenges facing policymakers in Europe and beyond. By exploring the conceptual and methodological issues relating to the evaluation of sustainable development, and analysing European practice and experience, the sixteen chapters in this volume provide a coherent and integrated contribution to our understanding of these issues. This volume will be of interest to researchers, policy analysts and practitioners in the area of impact assessment and sustainable development.