PDF《BEYOND 2015》

BEYOND

2015 Social Drivers of Sustainable Development Persistent poverty, growing inequalities, shrinking environmental limits and market volatility threaten the social and economic gains made since the turn of the millennium.

A new development agenda will need to look behind the symptoms to tackle the structural causes or drivers of poverty, inequality, social injustice and environmental degradation in order to create conditions for an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable future. Social Drivers of Sustainable Development February

2014 Sustainable development is necessarily people-centred and planet- sensitive (Bali Communiqué of the High-Level Panel,

28 March 2013), guided by values of equal rights and social justice, enabled by proactive states and well- functioning institutions, and shaped through the participation of empowered populations. BRIEF

04 Pathways to sustainable development Strategies for inclusive and green economic growth dominate current discussions about a sustainable development agenda. This brief focuses on often neglected drivers of development in the social domain, high- lighting their inseparability from eco??? nomic, environmental and political change pro- cesses. It points to a number of policy areas that have been shown to underpin trans- formative social change, and identifies key social drivers that are essential for catalyzing progress towards sustainable development. Sustainable development is necessarily people-centred and planet-sensitive (Bali Communiqué of the High-Level Panel,

28 March 2013), guided by values of equal rights and social justice, enabled by proac- tive states and well-functioning institutions, and shaped through the participation of empowered populations. To be socially sustainable, development must deliver material well-being, includ- ing good health, education, and access to the goods and services necessary for decent living;

and social, cultural and political achievements, such as a sense of security, dignity, and the ability to be part of a community through recogni- tion and representation. All of these are inseparable from the environmental re- sources necessary to sustain life, health and well-being. Looking at sustainable development through a social lens moves beyond a concern with social issues and problems, to Box 1: Defining social drivers of development Social drivers are defined here as social structures, institutions and agency, grounded in social norms and values, that determine directions and processes of change. Social structures are entrenched patterns of stratification and difference, related, for example, to class, gender, ethnicity, religion and location. Institutions are the rules of the game ― formal (laws) and informal (norms)―that shape the behaviour of people and organizations in fairly predictable ways. Agency is the capacity of individuals and groups to make their own choices and influence decision-making processes that affect their lives. Social norms and values, which vary in different contexts, may include respect for human rights and dignity;

meanings of identity and citizenship;

commitment to social justice and equality;

tolerance;

and respect for diversity and the environment. Looking at sustainable development through a social lens moves beyond a concern with social issues and problems, to an understanding of the social factors that drive or sustain all development outcomes.

2 Beyond

2015 Brief

04 | February

2014 an understanding of the social factors that drive or sustain all development outcomes. It focuses attention on the importance of social structures, institutions and agency in determining social, economic, political and environmental outcomes (box 1). It also highlights the complex interactions among multiple determinants of development, the synergies among policies and pro? grammes in different domains, as well as the need for coherence and coordination across sectors, among different actors, and between the local, national and global levels. Social policies can influence profound transformations across the social, economic and environmental domains Social policies are interventions by governments that affect the welfare of indi- viduals and communities. Universal social protection is now widely recognized as an essential contributor to development, with many countries committed to implement- ing national social protection floors. Beyond this protective function, social policies can influence profound transformations across the economic, environmental and social domains―sup? porting economic productivity, raising human capital, reducing inequalities and sharing the burden of social reproduc- tion―driving development outcomes in a more sustainable direction (box 3). These multiple functions demonstrate intrinsic linkages between social and eco- nomic policies. To be transformative, social policy cannot be limited to the residual role of assisting those at the margins of the economy, for example, through targeted transfers for poverty alleviation. Rather, integration among functions is necessary to provide security and opportunity for indi- viduals across the life-course, to share the burdens and benefits of economic growth, and to redistribute the costs of care. Inadequate attention to these broader func- tions of social policy can threaten progress towards other development goals―gener- ating social tensions over scarce jobs or resources, undermining health and produc- tivity, or disinvesting in future generations. At the extreme, such failures may lead to violent conflict or generate further environ- mental degradation. Beyond the more traditional social pol- icy functions, many countries are now designing social policy initiatives that also incorporate environmental con- cerns. These eco-social policies aim to shift behaviours or provide incentives for more sustainable environmental man- agement or resource use, strengthening the resilience or adaptive capacities of individuals and communities while also achieving social goals. Examples include cash transfers to reduce exploitation of resources in environmentally sensitive zones or as payment for environmental services;