Challenges and opportunities of urban mobility in Latin America: strategies toward sustainable development

In low-income and middle-income countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial implications for women's wellbeing. Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the gendered aspect of pandemics; however, addressing the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively and effectively requires a planetary health perspective that embraces systems thinking to inequalities. This Viewpoint is based on collective reflections from research done by the authors on COVID-19 responses by international and regional organisations, and national governments, in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa between June, 2020, and June, 2021. A range of international and regional actors have made important policy recommendations to address the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's health and wellbeing since the start of the pandemic. However, national-level policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been partial and inconsistent with regards to gender in both sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, largely failing to recognise the multiple drivers of gendered health inequalities. This Viewpoint proposes that addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in low-income and middle-income countries should adopt a systems thinking approach and be informed by the question of who is affected as opposed to who is infected. In adopting the systems thinking approach, responses will be more able to recognise and address the direct gendered effects of the pandemic and those that emerge indirectly through a combination of long-standing structural inequalities and gendered responses to the pandemic.

Mountain Biodiversity Is Central to Sustainable Development in Mountains and Beyond

Introduction: <scp> <i>Quo Vadis</i> </scp> , Latin America? Human Rights, Environmental Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable development is considered as one of the vital challenges of the 21st century for humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic and social life, forcing governments and businesses to reconsider their priorities. There are rare empirical studies on the national innovation system and its relationship to sustainability development for emerging countries. This paper aims at shedding light on how mission-oriented policies have marked sustainable regional development and innovation in Latin America. The present study presents the capabilities that could support the improvement of the national innovation system and, as a consequence, sustainability development. To understand how Latin American countries act on innovation and sustainable development initiatives, two global rankings in these areas, The Global Innovation Index 2020 and The Sustainable Development Report 2020, were analyzed. The results indicate some obstacles must be overcome such as the high levels of social inequality and poverty that still constitute significant challenges for this region. Today’s biggest challenges are facing a pandemic situation and guaranteeing economic development that allows the underprivileged to escape poverty without dooming future generations to an even more degraded environment than the current one. Innovation continues to play a critical role in the transition toward a more sustainable world.

Sustainable Economic Development in the Face of Climate Change in Latin America: A Path Forward

Collaborative mapping on sustainable development goals in Latin America UNESCO Global Geopark: A methodological discussion

With the aim of supporting the implementation of the NUA agreed at Habitat III, the Network of Sustainable Urban Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, REDEUS_LAC, aimed at selecting, disseminating and, where possible, monitoring Sustainable Urban Design Interventions (IDUS, for its acronym in Spanish) in the LAC Region. Aware of the complexity of determining the sustainability of urban interventions of different scale and scope, an international group of fifteen members of REDEUS_LAC with different experience -academics from social areas, urban planners, architects, economists, together with professionals from public and private sector organizations- have devised a peer review and evaluation system. The design of such a system involved discussing both the traditional definitions of the term 'sustainable development' as well as the ‘resilience’ perspective to urban space. The consensual decision was to consider four dimensions –socio cultural, environmental, governance and economic– which were subsequently operationalized in 17 attributes. A rubric was designed considering that each blind evaluator qualifies them by awarding points and stars by dimension. Thus, a digital IDUS platform with two or more stars is built. This also considers the possibility that, later, comments and opinions regarding the subsequent sustainability of the work will be added, enriching the state of the art and promoting open and informed debate to all the sectors involved in the construction of the city. The proposed article describes the sustainability evaluation system: the data matrix to post IDUS on the platform, the rubric, and the categorizations/typologies of IDUS determined up to now. Finally, as an example, three cases are presented according to their scale and type with their respective evaluations: one 'local replicable’ IDUS, another 'city unique', and finally a 'metropolitan/regional strategy' IDUS implemented in LAC.

The sustainable development of agrifood systems is a pressing global challenge, highlighting the need for frameworks that guide responsible investment and community engagement. The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CSA-IRA), approved by the Food Security Council in 2014, provide such a framework. Recognizing this opportunity, the FAO selected the Gesplan Research Group of the Polytechnic University of Madrid in 2016 to promote these principles in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain, leveraging the expertise of PhD graduates in Projects and Planning for Sustainable Rural Development. The main objective of this research was to explore how teaching, research, and civil society engagement can be integrated to operationalize CSA-IRA principles and foster sustainable development. To achieve this, the study applied the “Working with People” model across multiple countries and contexts, using university–business collaborations to implement practical, socially responsible initiatives. Over nine years, the approach generated a network of 46 universities and 52 agrifood companies across 12 countries, demonstrating effective multi-stakeholder collaboration. The accumulated experience led to the proposal of the Metauniversity—a “university of universities”—as an innovative instrument to scale knowledge transfer, research, and community engagement. These findings highlight that structured, collaborative networks can translate CSA-IRA principles into tangible actions, offering a replicable model for sustainable agrifood development globally

Objectives: This study aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of sustainability within the sharing economy (SE) model in the post-pandemic Latin American business landscape. It focuses on identifying how companies adopting sustainable practices can contribute to the region’s sustainable development. Methodology: Following the PRISMA reporting guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted to uncover the current state of research at the intersection of SE and sustainable development in Latin America. This approach highlighted the scarcity of focused studies and set the groundwork for further empirical research. Results: The findings reveal a significant gap in the literature regarding SE entrepreneurship’s role in sustainable development in Latin America. Despite the challenges related to informality and uncertainty, enterprises prioritizing sustainable practices within the SE model show strong potential for impactful growth. The proposed growth model emphasizes the synergy between sustainable thinking and Industry 4.0, fostering resource efficiency and competitive advantage. Originality/Value: This study makes a unique contribution by focusing on the underexplored area of SE and sustainability in Latin America, presenting a novel growth model that integrates Industry 4.0 with sustainability principles. Practical Implications: The findings suggest that adopting sustainable SE models can assist Latin American entrepreneurs and businesses in overcoming post-pandemic challenges while aligning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, leading to more resilient business models. Social Implications: This study underscores the potential positive social impact of adopting sustainable SE models in Latin America by promoting a more inclusive and collaborative economy to drive regional sustainable development.

During the 1990s, the world trend to consider the concept of sustainable development in government development policies has become popular in Latin America. Among other important issues, capacity building is essential for the successful implementation of these models. Considering that many oil and gas companies have moved to Latin America, it is important to explore their roles in terms of cooperation with LACs to increase the capacity of educational institutions and, at the same time, gain competitive advantage within the industry. Multinational corporations can gain competitive advantage by developing knowledge-based capabilities.1 The benefits include better public image and reputation locally, nationally, and internationally; access to new markets and resources; and cost reduction. Introduction During the twentieth century, Latin American countries (LACs) have applied different economic development models oriented to overcome the poverty, hunger, and underdevelopment of the region. Ironically, current economic, environmental, and social situations are indeed the results of the applications of such models. Although, since the 1960s, many attempts have been made by LACs to improve their industrial production processes and technology to become less dependent on developed countries, they have not been possible without foreign direct investment considering the amount of financial resources needed for this process. In the end, more dependency has been created, and the economic, environmental, and social situations of the countries have been aggravated. At the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, a global environmental concern dominated debates on development models. The world trend to consider sustainable development principles in government policy development has become popular in Latin America. The publication of Agenda 21 in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Summit of the Americas on sustainable Development in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in 1996, strengthened this tendency in which capacity building became key issues to implement new development models in Latin America. Considering that many oil and gas companies have moved to Latin America, it is important to explore their roles in terms of cooperation with LACs to increase the capacity of educational institutions and, at the same time, gain competitive advantage within the industry. Multinational corporations can gain competitive advantage by developing knowledge-based capabilities.1 The benefits include better public image and reputation locally, nationally, and internationally; access to new markets and resources; and cost reduction. The success of the implementation of this approach relies on the corporate culture of the firm, its commitments to pursue sustainable development practices, and the adequate use of its human, physical, and organizational resources. This paper will describe and analyze six strategies for improving the capacity of educational institutions. The main conclusions developed from this paper are:LACs should concentrate on human resource development and institutional capacity building to facilitate the absorption of imported technologies; andMultinational corporations can contribute to increase capacity building in Latin America, and at the same time, can gain competitive advantages, no larger investments are required to accomplish this objective.

PurposeThis article examines strategic management research across Latin America from 1990 to 2023, addressing four critical inquiries: the themes prevalent in strategic discussions, the leading countries in strategic management (SM) publications, the defining characteristics of strategic research in major Latin American economies and the reflection on whether Latin America is a region that generates or follows the knowledge of the Global North.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing co-occurrence analysis, this study maps the terrain of SM research in the region, analyzing 4,963 articles indexed in the Scopus database. The authors employed a co-occurrence analysis to map SM research in Latin America, analyzing 4,963 articles from the Scopus database.FindingsPredominant themes include the theoretical underpinnings of strategy, sustainable development, innovation, tourism and international trade. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Chile have emerged as leaders in research volume and thematic diversity, particularly in sustainable development and innovation.Practical implicationsBy identifying patterns, behaviors and trends in SM research, the authors uncover methods and tools that, once contextualized for the region, can significantly enhance organizational performance.Originality/valueThis investigation is a pioneering effort, providing a focused analysis on SM research within Latin America. It highlights significant contributions since 1990 across the region's main economies. This study represents one of the first comprehensive mappings of this academic field within Latin America. This is the first article, to the authors’ knowledge, developed to map the intellectual structure of the SM field in Latin America through an analysis of co-occurrences, with emphasis on the region's main economies.

From cleaner production to sustainable development: the role of academia

Part 1 Globalization and the challenges confronting the university: globalization, universities and issues of sustainable development, Jean L. Pyle and Robert Forrant constructing knowledge, boosting development and escaping debt - the case of Jamaica, Robert Forrant sustainable regional development -experience from Slovenia, Tea Petrin et al industrial development in Ireland -a new beginning?, Mary O'Sullivan sex, maids and export processing - risks and reasons for gendered global production networks, Jean L. Pyle feminists and technocrats in the democratization of Latin America - a prolegomenon, Veronica Montecinos. Part 2 Answering the challenge - the university, knowledge creation and the sustainable human development process: striving towards sustainable development in a globalizing economy - universities and civil society organizations in India, Jamuna Ramakrishna a university attempts to enter into its regional economy - models for integrated action, Linda Silka the university, public interest research and advocacy assistance - lessons on the role of academia in promoting sustainable development, Cathy Crumbley and Joel A. Tickner managing the interface with the region - the case of the University Sains Malaysia Pulau Pinang, Mmalaysia, Morshidi Sirat building bridges -sustainable development, interdisciplinary programs and the university, Nancy Kleniewski and John Wooding grow your own in the new economy? skill-formation challenges in the New England optical network industry, William Lazonick et al final thoughts - portable intellectual currents and sustainable human development, Robert Forrant and Jean L. Pyle.

Rather than try to give an account or definition of sustainable development of different schools of thought, what follows describes the evolution undergone by the discourse on sustainable development or the 'environmentalist' problem in Latin America in the last four decades by examining the work of Enrique Leff. His vast work represents a regime of truth, which has circulated around world. The examination of his most important texts, theoretical transformations and its problems are reflected in today's movements and discourses that advocate some form of sustainable development strategy. But as I will argue, some of the proposals do not reach their full potential; there are other theoretical paths out of the labyrinth if we reconfigure the sustainable development discourse with the support of the Latin American structuralism or centre-periphery, conception of the economy. The work of Leff is an outstanding regional - Latin American - autochthonous creation.

Rather than try to give an account or definition of sustainable development of different schools of thought, what follows describes the evolution undergone by the discourse on sustainable development or the 'environmentalist' problem in Latin America in the last four decades by examining the work of Enrique Leff. His vast work represents a regime of truth, which has circulated around world. The examination of his most important texts, theoretical transformations and its problems are reflected in today's movements and discourses that advocate some form of sustainable development strategy. But as I will argue, some of the proposals do not reach their full potential; there are other theoretical paths out of the labyrinth if we reconfigure the sustainable development discourse with the support of the Latin American structuralism or centre-periphery, conception of the economy. The work of Leff is an outstanding regional - Latin American - autochthonous creation.