Implementation Of Sustainable Development Projects Research Articles

Public Private Partnership and Sustainable Development in Murang’a County, Kenya

This research interrogates the relationship between Public Private Partnership (PPP) and sustainable development in Murang’a County, Kenya. The research utilised descriptive and inferential statistics. The target population of this study were the 10 PPP projects that have been implemented in Murang’a County as at August 2023. The unit of study were the county government officials and private sectors partners for each PPP project. Census was used in this study where all the 10 PPP projects in Murang’a County were involved in this study. Regression results revealed that project financing, project service quality, project governance, and project environmental sustainability together account for 93.5% of the variation in the sustainable development in Murang’a County. The explanatory power of the model was statistically significant at a p value of 0.000. Further, the results revealed that project financing (β = 0.326, p < 0.000); project service quality (β = 0.273, p < 0.000); project governance (β = 0.356, p = 0.004); and project environmental sustainability (β = 0.687, p < 0.000) had a positive and significant effect on sustainable development in Murang’a County, Kenya. Based on the findings, it is recommended that there should be an enhancement in project governance structures and financial management practices, rigorous adherence to environmental sustainability, and a relentless focus on improving service quality to ensure the successful implementation of sustainable development projects.

Модели устойчивого развития нефтегазовых компаний в условиях декарбонизации: сравнение российского и зарубежного опыта

The conducted bibliographic search revealed that the scientific articles have already raised the issues of sustainable development of oil and gas companies, including the implementation of sustainable development projects in the context of aggravated environmental agenda, as well as the contribution of oil and gas companies in achieving sustainable development goals. Foreign experience demonstrates that the models of sustainable development of oil and gas companies are formed pursuant to the territorial and country specifics. It has been stated that the study of companies in the Russian oil and gas sector in this aspect has not yet been reflected in scientific papers. The distribution of Russian oil and gas companies (PJSC NK Rosneft, PJSC Gazprom, PJSC Lukoil, PJSC Novatek, PJSC Tatneft) was carried out according to the selected UN priority sustainable development goals. There is set up the question of comparing the current model of sustainable development of Russian oil and gas sector companies with Asian, European and American models of development. There are presented the results of SWOT-analysis of measures of sustainable development reports of the largest oil and gas companies of the Russian Federation. As a result of the analysis the characteristics that allow comparing the Russian experience of sustainable development with foreign experience are identified. It has been inferred that in the context of the aggravated geopolitical situation Russian oil and gas companies should also focus on achieving the goals stated in the national projects of the Russian Federation.

Роль і місце парадигми сталого розвитку у наукових дослідженнях

The paradigm of sustainable development has become dominant in the world since the end of the Second World War, for the spread of this paradigm international organizations are created that direct society on the path of socio-ecological-economic development. The leading one is the UN Organisation, which has approved 17 Millennium Sustainable Development Goals. The issues of sustainable development are dealt with by scholars from all over the world and from various fields of research, which gives it an interdisciplinary status. The number of scientific studies on sustainable development over the past 50 years has been growing exponentially and in 2022 amounted to more than 0.5 million. The key concept of the paradigm of sustainable development in the world scientific research is «sustainability», while the concept of «sustainable development» itself is subordinate to it, and the concept of «sustainable growth» has not received universally accepted spreading. The leading directions of research on sustainable development in the world were natural and technical sciences related to safety and improvement of life, the economy as a social science was recognized as a necessary organizational-economic wrap for the implementation of sustainable development projects. Although Ukraine has adopted a course towards the implementation of sustainable development goals at the regulatory level, the trends in scientific research lag behind the global ones. The problem field of sustainable development research in Ukraine is narrower, there is a shift in emphasis in the conceptual apparatus, as well as a discrepancy as to the directions of scientific research compared to the global ones. Simultaneously, the problematic field of research in Ukraine is unique and determines the need for sustainable development research not only at the national level, but also at the regional level, given their uniqueness. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has posed new challenges to sustainable development, until now the main emphasis has been on adapting to vulnerability, while the issue of resistance has had a remote place in the field of research. The aforesaid requires a rethinking of the problematic field of sustainable development research in Ukraine, focusing on the sustainable development of its regions, taking into account the varying degrees of destruction as a result of russian aggression.

Development trends in ESG banking activities

Aim. The presented study aims to identify trends and directions that characterize the participation of banks in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development at the current stage and to formulate recommendations for enhancing the role of banks in this process. Tasks. The authors determine the role of commercial banks in the implementation of ESG projects; analyze the elements of sustainable development from the perspective of commercial banking activities; identify trends in the operation of banks and provide recommendations for enhancing their participation in the implementation of sustainable development projects. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods, including a systems approach to the analysis of the subject, a conceptual approach based on the analysis of papers by Russian scientists on sustainable finance, as well as logical and statistical analysis. Results. The conducted study substantiates the key role of banks as entities actively involved in the implementation of projects aimed at achieving sustainable development goals; describes the specific manifestation aspects of each of the three ESG elements from the perspective of commercial banking activities; identifies and describes major trends in the activities of banks associated with the implementation of ESG projects; formulates recommendations for banks on how to enhance this activity. Conclusions. The special status of banks as financial intermediaries does not allow them to remain uninvolved in the implementation of ESG projects. However, a complete understanding of the importance and urgency of implementing the ESG agenda in the banking sector is yet to be achieved. Factors slowing down the development include poor quality and limited sources of information for analyzing borrowers and issuers, lack of a unified methodology for assessing the participation of banks, and insufficient development of the regulatory framework for analyzing ESG projects. These factors can be mitigated by developing universal standards and approaches to the assessment of relevant projects, creating a unified taxonomy aimed at regulating all aspects of ESG banking, and spreading information about sustainable development.

On the issue of selecting the projects for sustainable development of enterprise taking into account interests of stakeholders and the way to solve it

Methods. The study of the problem of selecting projects for sustainable development of an enterprise, taking into account the interests of stakeholders, is based on the theoretical and methodological concepts of sustainable development, stakeholders, project management, rational and irrational behaviour of economic subjects. General scientific methods of research that were used are the method of analysis and synthesis – in the study of corporate sustainable development in the aspect of project management; general and specific – when justifying the specifics of taking into account the interests of stakeholders during the selection of sustainable development projects for an enterprise; cluster analysis – when substantiating the group interest of the company’s stakeholders; discrete analysis – when proving the discreteness property of such indicators as benefits and contributions to projects of corporate sustainable development. Results. The article researches the methodological problem of ensuring the sustainable development of enterprises in the context of the need to achieve global goals of sustainable development for the socio-economic and ecological post-war development of Ukraine and the consolidation of society around the implementation of sustainable development projects. The debatable nature of some aspects of modern mechanisms for ensuring the sustainable development of enterprises is shown. The attitude of scientists to the participation of stakeholders in ensuring the sustainable development of enterprises is analysed. It is substantiated that the sustainable development of enterprises is possible if the interests of stakeholders are taken into account. The problem of choosing projects for the sustainable development of enterprises if the interests of stakeholders are taken into account is described. It is proposed to solve the problem of choosing projects of sustainable development of an enterprise by the method of fuzzy sets, which will allow taking into account the subjective evaluation judgments of stakeholders regarding the amounts of benefits and contributions to projects of corporate sustainable development. Novelty. Based on the generalization of theoretical provisions, the problem is outlined and directions for improving the sustainable development of the enterprise are proposed based on taking into account the interests of stakeholders during the selection of sustainable development projects in order to achieve the global goals of sustainable development at the state level. Practical value. The outlined problem of choosing projects of corporate sustainable development with taking into account the interests of stakeholders and the proposed ways of its solving will allow managers to form more consciously effective management mechanisms for decision-making with the involvement of stakeholders and will condition the achievement of global goals of sustainable development at the state level.

Managing Sustainability Projects for Social Impact from a Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective

Initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can contribute to many programs for sustainable development. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is considered to have been slower to change in CSR than have other Western developed countries. The purpose of this research is to explore examples in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of how project initiatives in CSR and sustainable development can facilitate heightened awareness, engagement, and execution of action for sustainability. This research utilizes qualitative case study methods analysing a United Nations (UN) supported annual youth engagement program focused on implementation of sustainable development projects in the UAE. The varying degrees of project complexity and “programmification” of sustainability activities in the UAE reveals a more systematic and mature stage of CSR and sustainable development projects and programs than is reported in the literature. The application of project management to organize, implement, align, and monitor sustainability-centred programs provides knowledge relevant to the UAE and other countries interested in the strategic management of change. The study demonstrates the application and value of project management for implementing sustainable development initiatives and highlights the collaborative contribution of corporate and governmental stakeholders to project management in organizations. An important area for future research on sustainable development in the MENA region is to study corporate and public sector partnerships in CSR projects and sustainability programs.

PECULIARITY OF LEADERSHIP IN STAKEHOLDER INTERACTION MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL STRUCTURES

The article considers the specificity of leadership in stakeholder interaction management in implementation of sustainable development projects and highlights that large-scale and complexity of the execution of relevant development projects has needs for effective leadership, which is able not only to form an attractive future model, but also to involve all actors in the realization of plans. This paper characterizes the specifics of the motivational function of leadership in working with interested persons and argues that it is important to ensure the effectiveness of stakeholder interaction in the implementation of development projects. I use my own interpretation of the term “motivational potential of a leader” in relation to work with stakeholders. I emphasize the necessity of adequate methodological substantiation of ways of positioning different groups of interested persons in the environment of enterprise activity. I propose my authorial scientific approach for the company stakeholder positions on the strength of their effect and place on decision-making concerning sustainable development projects. The research underscores that understanding the strength of the impact of different stakeholder groups on decision-making allows management to reasonably defend the company position in the negotiation process with representatives of each group, choosing valence ways to satisfy the interests of those who can be most useful at every stage of development projects.

Определение наиболее эффективных направлений реализации проектов устойчивого развития в компаниях IT-отрасли

The paper presents the determination of the most effective ways of implementing sustainable development projects in companies of the IT industry. The main result of the work is a list of practical recommendations in the field of determining the optimal focus for the implementation of sustainable development projects. The list of recommendations is formed on the basis of regression analysis of the dependence of financial performance of companies on various factors in the field of sustainable development and case study of the features of sustainable development projects in various companies in the it industry and its relationship with financial and economic indicators and the overall level of sustainable development of the company.

ФІНАНСОВІ АСПЕКТИ КРОС-СЕКТОРНОГО ПАРТНЕРСТВА СТЕЙКХОЛДЕРІВ У РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ПРОЕКТІВ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ ГРОМАД

Присвячено формуванню моделі крос-секторного партнерства громади, влади і донорів у реалізації проектів сталого розвитку громад. Особлива увага при цьому приділяється фінансовим аспектам крос-секторного партнерства сторін. Установлено сутність соціо-еколого-економічної відповідальності кожного зі стейкхолдерів згідно із запропонованою моделлю, також проаналізовано етапи її імплементації при реалізації конкретного проекту сталого розвитку громад, досліджено основні нормативно-правові акти, які регламентують умови конкурсного відбору проектів сталого розвитку громад, визначено основні умови фінансової підтримки реалізації проектів сталого розвитку громад з урахуванням чисельності населення та рівня соціально-економічного розвитку регіонів відповідно до показника валового регіонального продукту, а також розглянуло основні схеми фінансування таких проектів. Для забезпечення об’єктивності оцінювання проектів сталого розвитку громад запропоновано фінансові критерії оцінки і вимоги до змісту проектних пропозицій регіонального розвитку, що відображають схему співфінансування проектів крос-секторного партнерства основних стейкхолдерів. Зроблено висновок про те, що фінансова підтримка проектів сталого розвитку громад також зросла, що зумовлено збільшенням розмірів місцевих бюджетів унаслідок реформи децентралізації в Україні. А це, у свою чергу, по-перше, відкрило можливості до залучення грантових коштів до фінансування проектів соціального, екологічного та економічного напрямів, ураховуючи специфіку і рівень регіонального розвитку цих сфер, а по-друге, активізувало участь самої громади у конструктивному співробітництві з органами місцевого самоврядування та донорськими фондами задля реалізації конкретних кроків із забезпечення сталого розвитку регіонів.

FINANCING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OF FAMILY FIRMS ON THE BASIS OF PRIVATE-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP

The research objective of the article is substantiation of methodological and applied recommendations for improving the system of financing the sustainable development projects in Ukraine in view of Sustainable Development Strategy realization. The study object is financing the family firms in framework of reforming the Ukrainian legislation aimed at establishing of a mechanism of funding the sustainable development projects. During the research there were used such methods as: dialectical method and methods of analysis and synthesis – to study the features of forming the national programs of the state development, the characteristics of private-public cooperation in the implementation of sustainable development projects; statistical method – to analyze the family firms’ expenditures by their content and direction, for empirical determining the costs, which can be potentially directed on sustainable development measures of Lviv region; structural and logical analysis – to develop theoretical and methodological principles of forming an effective Program of the regional competition of sustainable development projects for family firms in Ukraine. The need to increase incomes of Lviv region family firms was established. This will facilitate the development of small and medium businesses in the country. There were characterized supporting programs and projects for sustainable development for the purpose to encourage households to make the appropriate changes, providing assistance through common financing

Power in participatory processes: reflections from multi-stakeholder workshops in the Horn of Africa

The sustainability science literature views the participation of local stakeholders as a necessary element for both conducting transdisciplinary research and implementing sustainable development projects. However, there is very little critical reflection on how power dynamics between researchers and local stakeholders affect the success of participatory processes. This article draws on the critical tradition of political science and sociology to examine how power dynamics are inherent to, and should always be a concern during, participatory processes. This also applies for sustainability science research and the implementation of sustainable development projects, especially in developing contexts such as those of Africa. While local participation enhances the voices of local stakeholders, power dynamics between them and the researchers driving these processes can dampen local voices or elide critical pieces of information. Using evidence from participatory workshops in Djibouti and Kenya, we demonstrate that these power dynamics can unintentionally exclude critical knowledge and perspectives from the formal proceedings of participatory workshops, despite an express focus on stakeholder inclusion and participatory methods. Using Steven Lukes’ tripartite conception of power, we elicit how the workshop structure and the actions of researchers as the designers and facilitators of the workshop may have prevented the emergence of this critical information. The central argument is that reflecting on power will help researchers and practitioners identify the power dynamics inherent in the participatory processes so they can work to overcome them. Such self-reflection can strengthen sustainability science and practice in African and other contexts.

Improving Sustainable Development Outcomes through Best Management Practices

Over the last several decades the world has undergone several economic, political, environmental, and cultural changes. Society is faced with countless challenges that surround sustainable development. Progress has been made with respect to world poverty, technological development, and environmental awareness. Nonetheless, we have an opportunity to improve the leadership, planning, implementation, and monitoring of sustainable development projects. Notwithstanding having better technology and increased access to more data and information, we are still not able to optimize sustainable development decisions. This paper addresses a few critical aspects of strategic management and some resulting challenges faced by policy makers, managers, and implementers of sustainable development projects who come from the private sector, public sector and NGOs. The paper offers some managerial recommendations on how to enhance the leadership, planning, implementation, and monitoring of sustainable development projects.

Local community and stakeholder participation in post-apartheid urban renewal development projects in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Beginning from the mid-1990, the implementation of South African development projects witnessed remarkable changes. Driven primarily by government policy, particularly after 1994, these changes among other things offered opportunities for the people to participate in the development of their areas. This study evaluates the impact of local community and stakeholder participation in urban renewal initiatives during post-apartheid South Africa. The results show the critical role of community participation in the effective implementation of development initiatives. Participation provides communities with a platform to raise concerns thereby enabling critical and constructive dialogue among the relevant stakeholders and government officials. The study concludes that limited community participation in the planning and implementation of sustainable development projects contributes to creation of resistance among affected stakeholders

Constructive engagement for the civil society and the private sector, especially for resource mobilization

With the onset of the global financial recession, the decline in the transfer of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) from the industrialized nations, the slow down in the investments from foreign donors and investors, etc, the challenges of resource mobilization, particularly in the sourcing and securing of funds for the implementation of sustainable development projects and programmes, is becoming increasingly difficult and cumbersome, especially for the range of not-for-profit Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), etc, that are located in or working in developing countries. Under the prevailing circumstances, the roles of the profit-oriented private sector corporations are becoming much more significant and critical in their serving as alternate or co-financing sources of funding for such organizations, especially under the aegis of their individual or collective Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). However, based on a number of past experiences and proven episodes, it would be wise for the organizations concerned to adopt and to integrate appropriate checks, balances and indicators, to ensure that the resource mobilization relationships seeded and nurtured between the public-interest or civil-society groups and the private sector institutions are, indeed for the purposes of satisfying their intended dictums of "constructive engagements".

Application of life cycle thinking in multidisciplinary multistakeholder contexts for cross‐sectoral planning and implementation of sustainable development projects

Development planning and implementation is a multifaceted and multiscale task mainly because of the involvement of multiple stakeholders across sectors and disciplines. Even though top-down sectoral planning is commonly practiced, bottom-up cross-sectoral planning involving all relevant stakeholders in a transdisciplinary learning environment has been recognized as a better option, especially if the goal is to drive development projects toward sustainable implementation (Rowe and Fudge 2003; Müller et al. 2005; Global Development Research Center 2008). Even though many planning approaches have this goal, there are limited decision frameworks that are suitable for achieving consensus among stakeholders from multiple disciplines with sectoral objectives and priorities. In most instances, the upstream and downstream effects of development decisions are not thoroughly investigated or communicated with the relevant stakeholders, strongly affecting cross-sectoral integration in the real world (Wiek, Brundiers, et al. 2006). This article presents methodological aspects of developing a stakeholder based life cycle assessment framework (SBLCA) for upstream-downstream decision analysis in a multistakeholder development planning context. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated using simple examples extracted from a pilot case study conducted in Sri Lanka for sustainable posttsunami reconstruction at a village scale. The applicability of SBLCA in specific planning stages, how it promotes transdisciplinary learning and cross-sectoral stakeholder integration in phases of project cycles, and how local stakeholders can practice life cycle thinking in their village development planning and implementation are discussed.

Unsustainable development to sustainable development: a conceptual model

PurposeModelling of sustainable development is essential, as environmental protection is regarded as a top global priority in the twenty‐first century. The basic objective of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework, named the Four Forces model for diagnosing the process of sustainable development.Design/methodology/approachMichael Porter's Five Forces model serves as a starting‐point to derive the Four Forces model. The Four Forces model, which is developed based on Back Casting technique, shows the transformation process from current unsustainable development to future sustainable development through environmental degradation, greening force and greening process. These five major components are related based on cause and effect.FindingsThe paper reveals that a clear understanding of the transformation process and their integration is necessary for successful implementation of sustainable development projects, as the transformation is a continuous process. The Four Forces model is a generic and contribute towards a richer understanding of sustainable development process.Research limitations/implicationsThe suggested conceptual model provides a holistic view of sustainable development and does not attempt to provide a detailed, step‐by‐step approach for implementing sustainable development in industries. This paper helps to initiate future studies in this area.Originality/valueIn line with Michael Porter's three generic competitive strategies, this study analysis various greening strategies and greening tools and also recommends the Green Productivity as a better tool for implementing sustainable development in industries. The model can be used as a framework for further development of a practical sustainable development system in industries.

Tropical Dry Forests of Venezuela: Characterization and Current Conservation Status1

ABSTRACTTropical dry forests are located predominantly in the northern portion of Venezuela, above 6°N. Although their potential extent covers ca 400,000 km2 (44% of the land), they currently occupy about 10 percent of this area. The diversity and complexity of Venezuelan dry forests increases from north to south along a gradient of decreasing severity of the dry season. A typical dry forest in Venezuela presents ca 110–170 species of plants from ca 40 to 50 families within an area of approximately 10 ha. Species composition and forest structure, however, are dependent on local landscape conditions (e.g., soil type, topography), and nearby forest types can be very different. Our analysis of five dry forest variants showed a maximum family similarity of 67 percent, although most values fell in the 50–60 percent interval. They are currently considered as one of Venezuela's most threatened ecosystems, but only 5 percent of extant dry forests are included in protected areas; this represents 0.5 percent of their potential extent. It is fundamental to promote the creation of at least 3 or 4 more large protected areas (ca 5000 ha), with different climatic and orographic characteristics, in combination with the recovery of threatened species, the restoration of degraded systems, and the implementation of sustainable development projects. Their apparent high resilience suggests that with the proper management we can restore and maintain the integrity of Venezuelan dry forests.

Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development Subprojects in Brazilian Amazonia: The Challenges of Interculturality*

The implementation of sustainable development projects for Indigenous peoples in Brazilian Amazonia by the Pilot Program for the Protection of Brazilian Tropical Forests has generated new types of intercultural relations between the dominant society and local Indigenous communities. This article analyzes sixteen of these projects focussing upon (1) sociocultural relations, in which two different administrative and political systems come into contact and require the adoption by Indigenous peoples of a Western “project” format to meet their social and environmental needs, and (2) interscientific relations, whereby unresolved legal issues concerning the use of and access to Indigenous knowledge by members and institutions of the wider society are exacerbated.