Assessment practices in the policy and politics cycles: a contribution to reflexive governance for sustainable development?

ABSTRACT

This article examines systematic assessment practices linked to sustainable development policies. We consider five types of assessment—monitoring, policy evaluation, formal audit, peer review, and specialist reporting—and explore their fate in the policy and electoral politics cycles. In contrast to traditional views of the policy cycle, we note that systematic assessments provide complementary feedback around the entire policy cycle. However, despite this omnipresence, their policy relevance is usually severely limited, inter alia because the policy cycle captures only parts of the political reality. A major concern for politicians (but not necessarily for policy or governance scholars) that goes far beyond the formulation and implementation of policies is the broader cycle of electoral politics that determines the state's political personnel as well as government priorities. Here, we highlight that the findings of systematic assessments are often lost in a cacophony of voices to which politicians are more carefully attuned, such as media responses and opinion polls, implying that scientific evidence is simply ‘overwritten’ with other kinds of evidence representing alternative rationalities and priorities. Despite numerous shortcomings, the true value of systematic assessment practices lies in their potential to furnish ammunition to state and non-state actors interested in securing change.     

Special section: advancing the role of cities in climate governance – promise,limits, politics

This special issue contributes to scholarly debates about the role of cities in global climate governance, reflecting on the promise, limits, and politics of cities as agents of change. It takes an empirically-informed approach drawing on multiple diverse geographical and political contexts. Overall, the special issue aims to stimulate reflection and debate about where understanding and practice needs improvement to advance the role of cities in global climate governance. Key questions that are addressed in the special issue include: To what extent do real world experiences confirm or disconfirm the high expectations of cities as agents and sites of change in addressing global climate change as expressed in urban climate governance literature? In what ways do internal political dynamics of cities enable or constrain urban climate governance? How is climate governance in cities enabled and constrained by interactions with broader governance levels? In what ways can climate governance in cities be advanced through critical attention to the previous issues?     

近年旅游可持续发展研究综述

回顾了旅游旅游可持续理论的国内外研究历程,已经形成的概念、旅游容量和实现形式。在文献综述的基础上,提出了旅游可持续发展领域中需要进一步研究的问题。     

全球视角下的企业ESG绩效驱动因素解析

企业是践行可持续理念、实现可持续发展目标的重要主体。企业需要在生产经营过程中统筹提升环境（E）、社会（S）、治理（G）三个维度的ESG绩效。基于外部压力和内部实力,本文预先设定了国家背景、行业属性、金融实力三种因素驱动企业改善ESG绩效的理论假设。为检验假设,本文使用多元线性回归和多层线性模型对来自55个国家、共计6139家上市公司样本进行实证研究。结果表明,即使在控制企业规模、风险管理和社会声誉的情况下,国家可持续发展水平、行业绿色发展水平、企业金融实力仍能显著提升企业ESG绩效。其中,国家和行业变量不仅直接促进了企业ESG绩效的提升,还在更高维度上通过调节CFP-ESG的关系间接促进企业ESG绩效的提升。本研究有助于企业更好地制定实施可持续发展战略,也能为投资者评估并筛选出ESG绩效优异的企业提供科学参考。     

Towards a governance of sustainable consumption transitions: how institutional factors influence emerging local food systems in Belgium

System innovations and transitions in the realm of sustainable consumption policies will seldom emerge automatically from the present socio-political and socio-technical contexts. This paper explores a set of perspectives related to the governance of transitions and develops their application to the relatively unexplored governance of sustainable consumption transitions. Empirical material stems from an extensive case study which analyses a food consumption niche in the form of collectively organised local food systems (LFS) in Belgium. More specifically, we analyse and discuss the institutional contexts and socio-political configurations within which the investigated system innovation cases are embedded. The results explore the role of governmental interplay in fostering innovative consumption practices for a transition towards a more sustainable, autonomous, citizen-based, LFS.     

The use of regulatory taxation as a policy instrument for sustainability transitions: old wine in new bottles or unexplored potential?

The burgeoning literature on sustainable transitions links persistent environmental problems to the functioning of socio-technical systems. Conventional policy instruments, such as environmental taxation, are often rejected by transition scholars but in-depth studies on their potential are scarce. This paper explores the potential of the instrument of environmental taxation for influencing sustainability transitions. The multi-level perspective and the multi-phase perspective from transition thinking and the social practices approach are combined with the environmental economics theories of Pigou and Coase. Our analysis shows that the highest impact of regulatory taxation will be realised at the end of the take-off phase and in the acceleration phase of a transition. Although important barriers exist and many conditions apply, regulatory environmental taxation, especially as part of a smart policy mix, has more potential for contributing to sustainability transitions than hitherto assumed.     

Urban contractual agreements as an adaptive governance strategy: under what conditions do they work in multi-level cooperation?

ABSTRACT

The Norwegian urban growth agreement (UGA) is a governance platform combining transport-infrastructure development with land-use and transport policy. It is a policy package of measures involving network cooperation between national, regional and local government levels established to coordinate transport and land-use development. Shared responsibility for goal achievement, autonomy and learning and adaptation as new knowledge and experience arise are clear prerequisites for the UGAs. This makes it relevant to investigate the conditions for the UGAs to work as an adaptive governance strategy because their central features are in line with the attributes of adaptive governance. Further, adaptive governance is an approach to handle complex problems like transport development issues. The study shows that UGAs have several strengths in terms of autonomy and learning. However, the multi-level cooperation in the UGAs is framed by complex underlying structures of roles and powers, which challenge the working and legitimacy of the governance structures. Multi-level adaptive governance processes like the UGAs require attention to issues of power and legitimacy. Securing transparency and democratic anchorage is paramount in bringing such processes in line with the intended benefits of adaptive governance.     

可持续发展理念下的资源型城市转型评价体系

随着世界经济发展一体化进程加速和我国市场经济体制逐渐成熟，计划经济时代成长起来的资源型城市难以适应社会经济发展的潮流，面临着重重困境。将可持续发展理念融入建立资源型城市转型评价体系的过程，提出了评价方法。通过对发展度、持续度、协调度以及趋势度的测算，该指标体系能较好地反映资源型城市的转型发展水平、可持续性、协调性和发展趋势，有利于资源型城市在转型过程中采取相应的竞争策略。     

以跨学科模型体系支撑经济社会绿色低碳发展

正2020年9月22日,国家主席习近平在第七十五届联合国大会一般性辩论上发表重要讲话,承诺我国将提高国家自主贡献力度,采取更有力的政策和措施,二氧化碳排放力争于2030年前达到峰值,于2060年前实现碳中和。实现\"双碳\"目标的关键在于控制化石能源消费,而能源是经济发展的物质基础,节能降碳措施将为我国经济发展带来显著压力。今后一段时间内,我国将面临节能减排与后疫情重建的双重挑战,亟须开展相关理论与实证研究,为绿色低碳发展提供科学依据。     

用国际可持续发展研究的新成果和通用语言解读生态文明

本文用国际可持续发展研究的新成果和国际通用语言解读生态文明,从理论、战略、治理三个方面进行探索性的讨论,提出深化生态文明的思考和建言。首先,从对象、过程、主体三个维度概述最近十年国际可持续发展研究的重要新成果新思想,指出其对理解和深化生态文明可能有的启示。其次,基于生态文明是经济社会发展与资源环境消耗脱钩的新认识,对中国未来从2020到2050年生态文明建设的情景、路径与策略做出战略层面的分析与研讨。最后,提出后2020五年规划编制中加强面向生态文明的合作治理的建议,包括深耕包含模型、加强政府间的合作和整合、加强公私间的界面管理、鼓励公民参与和培育生态文明的新伦理新人格等。     

乌鲁木齐市近5年生态足迹与生态承载力研究

生态足迹是一种可持续发展程度的生物物理评价方法.阐述了生态足迹的概念和计算模型,设计了城市生态足迹计算方法,对乌鲁木齐市2000-2004年共5年的生态足迹及生态承载力进行了测算.结果表明：各年的生态足迹需求均大于生态承载力,出现了生态赤字现象,该市处于生态不可持续状态.     

基于多层次灰色关联分析模型的陕西各市可持续发展能力比较

通过建立评价指标体系,利用多层次灰色关联分析模型对陕西各市2005年经济发展、生态环境保护、社会进步以及综合可持续发展能力分别进行比较。结果表明：西安、汉中、咸阳分别为经济发展、生态环境保护和社会进步可持续发展能力最高城市,渭南市处最低水平;综合可持续发展能力,西安、宝鸡和汉中排名最前,综合指数分别为0．6643、0．6622和0．6579,渭南市最低,仅为0．4451,其余各市综合指数在0．5115～0．6323之间。最后,结合部分城市现状,对其综合可持续发展能力建设提出建议措施。     

生态执政能力建设初探

探讨了生态执政能力建设的重要性及其内涵,认为生态执政能力是一个政党应对环境问题的能力,关系到政治、经济、文化、社会和生态安全等方面能否持续发展。生态执政能力的内容包括制定符合生态规律和环境保护要求的路线、方针政策的能力;领导制定和实施环境保护法律、法规的能力;动员和组织政党成员及国民学习和实践环境保护知识、理念、行为和规范的能力;领导国民建设生态文明、生态文化的能力;领导国民和教育国民选择、建设可持续发展的经济模式的能力。     

可持续发展视角下的资源环境承载力——内涵、特点与功能

我国明确提出可持续发展战略,并开始逐步实施.同时,我国已经提出了科学发展观与和谐社会的理念,这些政策与方针的提出就是力图实现在资源环境承载力约束条件下的最优发展.因此,首先应在理论上正确认识经济可持续增长的资源环境承载力问题,从内涵、特征与功能等方面对资源环境承载力进行系统梳理.这是实现资源环境承载力承载范围内最佳经济增长的前提条件,是正确制定和实施可持续发展战略的理论基础.     

基于相对资源承载力的可持续发展问题研究——以河北省为例

采用相对资源承载力的研究思路与计算方法,分别计算出1996—2005年河北省土地资源、经济资源的相对承载力和综合承载力,并分析了其动态变化过程。研究表明:①河北省综合承载力一直处于超载状态,经济资源承载力于2004年后呈现富余状态,经济资源成为河北省的主要承载资源;②与环渤海的其它4省市相比,相对土地资源承载力处于富余状态,相对经济资源承载力处于超载状态;③河北省内11个地市相对资源承载力存在着地区差异。通过河北省相对承载力方面的研究,提出了河北省实现可持续发展的对策与建议。