SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. is the organizing principle for meeting human
development goals while simultaneously sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the
natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend. The
desired result is a state of society where living conditions and resources are used to continue to
meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural system.
Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations.
2 KEY CONCEPTS
 The concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding
priority should be given; and
 The idea of limitations, imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment’s ability to meet present and future needs (Our Common Future, 1987)

The given definition is the most commonly used definition of sustainable development from
OUR COMMON FUTURE, a paper by the UN World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED) published in 1987. Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland
Report in recognition of former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland's role as
Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), was published in
1987 by the United Nations through the Oxford University Press.
Its targets were multilateralism and interdependence of nations in the search for a sustainable
development path. The report sought to recapture the spirit of the Stockholm Conference which
had introduced environmental concerns to the formal political development sphere. Our
Common Future placed environmental issues firmly on the political agenda; it aimed to discuss
the environment and development as one single issue.
The document was the culmination of a “900-day” international-exercise which catalogued,
analysed, and synthesised: written submissions and expert testimony from “senior government
representatives, scientists and experts, research institutes, industrialists, representatives of non-
governmental organizations, and the general public” held at public hearings throughout the
world.
The World Bank under its Development Education Program (DEP) tries to simplify the concept of
sustainable development by citing examples of conflicting needs. It stresses the needs to find a balance
among social, economic, and environmental needs.

THE THREE PILLARS

1. Social Pillar (People Pillar)

Refers to the community and everyone in it – be households or as part of social groups. In
business, the social pillar pertains to the stakeholders such as employees and consumers and the
locality the business operates in. a business has to earn support from all its stakeholders to be
sustainable.
 DIMENSIONS
Social Life have developed a framework for social sustainability which has four dimensions:
amenities and infrastructure, social and cultural life, voice and influence, and space to grow.

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen gives the following dimensions for social sustainability:[9]

 Equity - the community provides equitable opportunities and outcomes for all its members,
particularly the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community

 Diversity - the community promotes and encourages diversity

 Interconnected/Social cohesions - the community provides processes, systems and

structures that promote connectedness within and outside the community at the formal, informal
and institutional level

 Quality of life - the community ensures that basic needs are met and fosters a good quality
of life for all members at the individual, group and community level (e.g. health, housing,
education, employment, safety)

 Democracy and governance - the community provides democratic processes and open
and accountable governance structures.

 Maturity - the individual accept the responsibility of consistent growth and improvement
through broader social attributes (e.g. communication styles, behavioural patterns, indirect
education and philosophical explorations)

2. Environmental Pillar (Planet Pillar)

Refers to the environment and natural resources. Following the concept of scarcity, natural
resources have to be utilized efficiently to satisfy the needs of the present generation and still
have enough for future ones.
3. Economic Pillar (Profit Pillar)
Refers to the effective management of organizations in order to continue operations. A business
has to be profitable to be sustainable. It is equally important for companies to earn profit as
much as it is critical for them to consider the society and scarce natural resources in producing
goods and services.
 Livable – a development that takes into consideration the impact on the society and the
environment.
 Viable – a project that takes into account the effect on the environment alongside
economic growth.
 Equitable – a development that primarily considers the different segments of the society
alongside potential profits.
*Equity as defined in economic rests on the idea of fairness or just treatment of
all individuals and groups of society. This means that an equitable development
takes into consideration the minorities in the community. Minority groups are
often identified through demographics such as gender, age, and ethnicity.

2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

THE Division for Sustainable Development of the United States is under its Department of Economic and
Social Affairs. The division oversees the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
agreed upon by member nations and performs other related functions such as stakeholder engagement,
knowledge management, and interagency coordination. The latest program referred to as 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development was adopted in September 25-27 2015 and it lists 17 SDGs and 169
underlying targets. This encourages cooperation from nations and regional blocks. Developments on a
national level should be aligned with the global SDGs through the underlying targets. In the case of the
Philippines, this means more effective government policies and programs that encourage compliance of
individuals and businesses.

PREAMBLE

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal
peace in larger freedom. We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including
extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable
development. All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this
plan. We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and
secure our planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently
needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective journey,
we pledge that no one will be left behind. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which
we are announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek
to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to
realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and
girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development:
the economic, social and environmental.

Welfare Economics - you learned about normative and positive economics from module 1.
Normative analysis is characterized by subjective statements and answers " what ought to be"
questions. It is largely based on personal views of what is good and what is bad for individuals
and the society, which is the very foundation of welfare economics. More formally, welfare
economics is the branch of economis that deals ith policies centered on improving inidivual
welfare and social well-being through judgements and ideals
Remember that utility refers to an individual's satisfation level, which is based on personal
judgment. Give this, you can also define welfare economics as the combined utility of all
individuals in the society, also known as social utility
Welfare economics is at the core of suistainable development objectives where the social good
is given as much importance as development and economic growth. In addition, it serves as a
guide in measuring the effectiveness of government policies generally aimed at improving social
welfare. Equity and efficiency are fundamental concepts in the study of social welfare. As
discussed earlier, equity is about social fairness. Efficiency, on the other hand, refers to the
optimal use resources. While GDP is considered as an impotant macroecnomic indicator of
econmis growth and pogress, it arguably does not adequately measure that well-being of
individuals in the society. SOme have tried to quatity economic welfare and oncorporate social
variables into the GDP calculation. Notable economics William Nordhaus and James Tobin
proposed the Measure of Economic Welfare (MEW) in 1972 in their econmic research entitled
"Is grrowwwwth Obsolete?" They aimed to account for externatilities and living standard in
GDP. In addition to MEW, there are other attempts to find a more adequate measure of econmic
progress and suisatinable development like the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW)
developed in 1989.
More recent measures of human well-being include the Human Development Index (HDI)
introduced in 1990 through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)> HDI takes into
account health and longevity, knowledge, and standard of living. Health is measured through
life expectancy, knowledge is quantified through years of schooling, and standard of living is
evaluated through Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. UNDP publishes an annual Human
Developmentt Report, which ranks countries based on their calculated HDI. The human
Development Ntework (HDN) and advocates related programs taht are believed will help
improve the well-being of Filipinos.
Socioeconmic Impact STudy- In line with the growing concernfor suistainability, business and
institutions are encourage to conduct a socioeconomic impact (SEI) study of any venture ore
public programs. In this sections, social welfare is explored further in the context of business.
Through an SEI study, you will learnhow a business impacts the community and has the
potential to alleviate the well-being of the different groups in the society.
An SEI study is atype of cost- benefit analysis in which the positive and negative impacts of
projects, developments, and legislations on society are weighed and measure. The main
purpose of a socioeconmic impact study is to acess whether developments, public programs, or
business ventures are suistainable. The study ultimately aims to answers two primary concerns;
1. Does the plan of action bebefit all segments of the comunity and if not, which group stands
to benefits the most? 2. Is the benefit for the long term?
-understanding the purpose of an SEI study is good but what is the relevance of this knowledge?
As SEI study is essential for a couple reasons, most ntably in creating awareness, acting in check,
and balance, and integrating community feedback into social developments. It is also vital in
formulating recommendations on how to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive
business impacts on the community.
-Conducting an SEI study raises awareness among the residences of the community. It is
sometimes taken for granted that members of the community have tobe informed of any
planned developments and be educated on any potential impact on the society
-An SEI study serves as a check for the effectiveness of government program and policies.
- Futhermore, feedback and reactions from community groups are indispensable to
administrative bodies in order to calibrate programs and tto devise more effective future
policies.
- The results of an SEI study are crucial to developing new products and services.
Steps in COnducting a Socioeconomic IMpact Study
Define the scope of the study
The scope of the study should first be defined. Is the study uniqueto a group or is the study
conducted for similar groups in various locations? Will the results serve as an experiment for
future development in other areas? There are just some of the questions that are clarified at
the beginning of the study. It is neccessary to properly identify the social groups that are
potentially impactted byy a development or project because it will affect the components of the
study.
Identify the data collection methodology
after defining the project type, size, and scope pf an SEI study. the data collection tools to be
used should be identified. SOme methods may be more appropriate than others in achieving
the desire feedback. The most common data collection methods that may be used in an SEI
study are surrveys, interrviews, and observations.
Surveys - a popular methood in gathering research data is through surveys where respondents
are asked a series of relevant questions. Thus, surveys are often interchangeably referref to as
quetionnaires or questionnaires surveys. A questionnaires surveys is traditionally conducted
using pen and paper. With advances in technology and the improved Internet penetration,
online surveys are now hugely popular. Surveys provide a cost-effective way to reach a large
number f respondent in a given time. For instance, a number of online platforms let you create
a survey questionnare for free.
Poll question-is a type of survey that is limited to a single question. Questions in this type of
survey may be snet out through various meida suchh as phone, SMS text, manual pen and
paper or outline.

surveys may be classified according to the purpose of the study. For example, a customer
satisfaction survey is used in collecting data specifically on consumer feedback. It provides
valuable information to organizations of external perceptions of their products or services.
Customer’s satisfaction surveys are more widely used in the service industry or in services
departments of business selling tangible products. In addition to reaching a wider audience and
cost-effectiveness, surveys also allow anonymity. Respondents are typically less conscious of
their answers knowing their identities are kept private.
In terms of flexibility, however, surveys form once sent out are hard to revise. The same set of
questionnaires is advised to be used for consistency. In addition, it is difficult to do follow-ups
and clarification on some respondents' answers. Here are some tips in creating an effective
survey form: 1. Specify the objective of the survey. A brief introduction on what the survey is
about provides an idea to the respondents and helps in prompting relevant feedback. Example
1: We value our customers. Yours feedback will help is improve our service. 2. Be clear. Ensure
that questions are not subject to several interpretations, and each question has only one idea.
Consider example 2 below and assume that the question is answerable using a rating of 1 to 5,
with 5 being the most favorable . If the respondent answers 3 (moderate), does it mean
moderately helpful or moderately relevant, or both? Instead, break this down into two
questions (see example 3). Example 2: How helpful and relevant to you was the forum on
climate change? Example 3: How helpful to you was the forum on climate change? How relevant
to you was the forum on climate change? 3 Avoid personal biases. Use neutral questions to
avoid influencing respondents by providing biased answers. Example 4 illustrates an example of
what to avoid. By providing your own views, the respondents might feel pressured into agreeing
with you, Example 5 illustrates a more effective question. Example 4 We think the new
community park is a waste of government founds. Do you feel the same way? Example 5: How
do you feel about the new community park? 4. Use only relevant questions. Respondents are
normally discouraged by long survey forms so edit and include only the most relevant
questions. For instance, survey form that aims to get feedback on a company's new product
packaging should stick to product-related questions. In the example below, the second question
(6.b) may be added under company background. Example 6.a: Overall, how do you rate the new
packaging of our organic shampoo product line? Example 6.b: How do you feel about the
company's mission statement?
interviews Another common data collection method in an interview or interview survey, the
respondent answers questions presented by the research person. In contrast to a questionnaire
survey, the research can pose follow-up questions to clarify the respondent's answers if
necessary. Interviews may be conducted personally or through calls. Personal interviews are
interviews that are conducted face-to-face, while phone interviews are accomplished over the
phone. Face-to-face interviews are often the most costly and time consuming because of the
need to fine time that suits both the researcher and the respondent(s), the need to print
materials, and the effort of travelling to the location of the interview. However, it necessary in
cases in which reactions and body language can provide critical insights.
The rating scales used in a very form are as important as the type of questions. Both the type of
question and rating scale largely depend on the type of survey and the type of information the
researcher is after. The Likert scale is a popular rating scale used to measure the level or
intensity of responses. Figure 8.3 shows an example of a likert scale.
Interviews Another common data collection method is an interview. In an interview or interview
survey, the respondent answers questions presented by the research person. In contrast to a
questionnaire survey, the researcher can pose follow-up questions to clarify the respondent's
answers if necessary. Interviews may be conducted personally or through calls. Personal
interviews are interviews that are conducted face-to-face, while phone interviews are
accomplished over the phone. Face-to-face interviews are often the most costly and time
consuming because of the need to find time that suits both the researcher and the
respondent(s), the need to print materials, and the effort of travelling to the location of the
interview. However, it is necessary in cases in which reactions and body language can provide
critical insights.
Focus Groups Focus groups or focus group discussion (FGD) is a facilitator- led discussion of a
small group where ideas and opinions are openly shared. It is another research tool that may be
used in an SEI study. The number of respondents is often limited in an FGD in order to form only
small group (i.e., 8 to 12 participants) and to be effective. It relatively harder to facilitate larger
groups and ideas may not be properly explored when there are too many participants.
FGDs are favored in brainstorming sessions in which respondents can freely discuss and
comment on ideas. By having the freedom to express ideas, issues and concern from participant
that were not previously considered by the researcher could be discussed. Moreover, FGDs
allow flexibility in the discussion of topics. The facilitator or other participants can pose follow-
up questions. On the downside, FGDs provide less anonymity than surveys. Some participants
may be shy or guarded in providing feedback. Another issue is when there are more dominant
participants who seen to do most of the talking. This tends to influence how others would
respond to the discussion. Finally, finding from FGDs are often inconclusive and not as straight-
forward as those from questionnaire surveys. They often require analysis in order to extract
meaningful conclusive. In this sense, a survey is more reliable because one can devise the
survey formal for casier measurement. In addition to information gathered from survey, and
interviews, available historical data and observation may be used to supplement the analysis of
socioeconomic impacts. In formal supplies, a section is often dedicated to discussion of research
methodologies in which details on the tools used in gathering information are provided. A
sample of important methodology data provided below. It provides an overview of how stud is
planned to be carried out.
Sample of Important Methodology Data 1.Sample Size: 50 2.Sampling Method: Random
Sampling 3.Profile of Respondents: Housewives 4.Research Tool: Survey of 10 questions
step 3. Analyze the data and present the results. After identifying the appropriate tools and
preparing the relevant materials for the study, it is time to conduct the actual data gathering.
Afterward, feedback and reaction are analyzed and meaningful assessments are concluded. This
is when you formulate recommendations and strategies on how to drive planned developments.
Socioeconomic impacts an be measure through changes in demographics and improvements in
income and employment of people in the community. Additionally, begavioral changes of
different groups may be seen as socioeconomic impacts as well. Using the data from the various
research methodology, you may verify whether there was a shift in demographics. Was there an
increase in population of an area due to a certain development? Was there increased
employment related to a certain development? Was there a change in social behavior
attributable to a particular product? These are some of the questions that may be answered
through the analysis of data from an SEI study.