Abstract
The concept of sustainable development has been criticized for its broadness and ambiguity that permits different interpretations in separate views. However, the prior studies on sustainable development generally relied on survey data, so they have some limitations that preclude congruent conclusions. In contrast to prior studies, we used Q methodology, which is designed to investigate subjective perceptions as it is. This study aims to explore the South Koreans’ perceptions of sustainable development among various stakeholders such as experts, bureaucrats, legislatures, civic group members, company employees, and journalists. Based on the hierarchical belief system of the advocacy coalition framework, we classified all statements into three categories: core value, policy core, and secondary aspects. Using Q methodology, we extracted five types: (1) democrat; (2) idealist; (3) green growth advocate; (4) skeptics; and (5) elitist. We examined the distribution of the five types according to a hierarchical belief system, and discussed implications of the findings.
Highlights
Sustainable development is a paradigm that pursues individual and social well-being through harmony between economic growth, social integration, and environmental protection
In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) Summit unanimously adopted the 2030 sustainable development agenda, which consists of 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets, and agreed to pursue sustainable development goals until 2030, voting to allow progress to be checked through mutual monitoring and cooperation
Variety in the number of ideas regarding sustainable development that we collected were a resultthe of variety in thethe number of ideas regarding development that we collected were a result of our utilizing semi-structured interviewsustainable method, which is quite suited to the research characteristics of Q methodology
Summary
Sustainable development is a paradigm that pursues individual and social well-being through harmony between economic growth, social integration, and environmental protection. Sustainable development has become an important topic in promoting social innovation. The concept of social innovation focuses attention on the ideas and solutions that create social value. Many researchers and practitioners in the field of social innovation are paying attention to sustainable development, which has many common respects with social innovation ([2,3,4,5,6]). In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) Summit unanimously adopted the 2030 sustainable development agenda, which consists of 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets, and agreed to pursue sustainable development goals until 2030, voting to allow progress to be checked through mutual monitoring and cooperation. Just as most social innovations often face challenges, most countries are struggling with implementing sustainable development.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
