Abstract
The sustainable development imaginary was built on a belief in co-operation, collaboration and consensus building and requires governance approaches that rely upon the values of a liberal, pluralistic, tolerant, and democratic society. Much scholarship assumed that the European Post-War, welfare, democratic order, with its emerging educated classes, would steadily progress towards an ever more refined and articulated version of these governance values. However, that governance imaginary has become increasingly deradicalised, focused instead on economic efficiency and technocracy. Our current ‘troubled times’ have now seen the rise of right populism and the imposition of austerity policies in Europe. Against this background, six key characteristics of sustainable development are examined through a governance lens—limits to growth, equity, inclusion, reflexivity, participation, and international solidarity—showing how right populism and austerity have further reshaped ideas about how to govern for sustainable development. Right populism and austerity have constrained both the narratives and tools available, while shrinking the political space for co-operation, reflection, and learning, poorly reflecting the governance values thought necessary to achieve an equitable and environmentally sustainable future. This has been further seen in the contested governance of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies designed to ensure post-Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic economic recovery.
Highlights
The aim of this Special Issue is to explore how the twin contemporary political trends of national and transnational austerity policies and the growth of right populism may act as further barriers to the use of governance styles that were envisaged by the sustainable development imaginary, as established by the Brundtland Report [1]
Open forms of governance have difficulty in finding voice in political systems characterised by efforts to protect narrow, vested interests and hostile to alternative viewpoints—the rise of populism at odds with the governance requirements needed to promote sustainable futures
Arias-Maldonado considers the dual challenge to sustainable development governance of rising right populism and the increased urgency presented by the Anthropocene and the threat of climate change
Summary
The aim of this Special Issue is to explore how the twin contemporary political trends of national and transnational austerity policies and the growth of right populism may act as further barriers to the use of governance styles that were envisaged by the sustainable development imaginary, as established by the Brundtland Report [1] This development model recognises environmental limits to growth and the need to adjust development to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Governance for sustainable development refers to establishing and utilising governance processes that are orientated towards the steering of societal development in keeping with the earth’s finite resources [3,4] This links governance to issues of political legitimacy and social justice, involving governance methods and mechanisms that are perceived as legitimate, effective, and fair [5]. Beyond the scope of this Special Issue, aspects of governance of sustainability, such as the reliance on technocracy and globalized markets, are themselves implicated in the rise of populism
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
