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Conflict, Relapse and Failure in the Sustainability Process: Neglected Problems

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Economics and Sustainability

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Abstract

In the sustainability process, conflicts, failures and crises are neglected, reinforcing the methodological and practical difficulties of sustainable development. In large parts of the economic and political sustainability discourses technological solutions are sought, neglecting the necessity of social and institutional transformation. Sustainable development implies conflicts, but no strategies to deal with these are established in sustainability governance. In the conclusion section of the chapter, the necessity of conflict mitigation is highlighted as a means of correcting deficits in governance practices and to develop the sustainability process towards a social-ecological transformation of the economy and society.

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Authors and Affiliations

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    Karl Bruckmeier

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Appendices: Further Information and Material

Appendices: Further Information and Material

1.1 1. Questions and Individual Exercises

1.1.1 Learning Exercises

The information in Boxes 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5 and 7.6 (knowledge conflicts in the sustainability process, ecological distribution conflicts, the conflicting processes of economic globalisation and sustainable development, the productive potential of failure and conflicts in the sustainability transformation) can be used for further reflection and discussions in a group about sustainability and conflicts.

It is not possible with a single chapter to provide a systematic overview of the broad and diverse field of conflict research. You should choose one or several of the boxes and discuss them with the group to gain a first impression of what the difficulties are with regard conflict research for sustainable development. You can also watch a video on conflict research on the Internet to prepare for the discussion (to have an impression of the practice of conflict resolution). The only question you should try to answer is the one that runs through all conflict research: how broad and general should a conflict definition be (is it meaningful to rank under the term conflict such different types as intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts, value conflicts, organisational goal conflicts, non-violent and violent conflicts, small and big conflicts, intergenerational conflicts, etc.)?

You should read further texts cited in the chapter when you work on conflict research: for example, when you plan or begin to write a thesis (see suggestions below).

1.2 2. Further Reading Suggested: Deepening, Thematically Specialised

Almered Olsson, G., & Gooch, P. (Eds.). (2019). Natural Resources, Conflicts and Sustainable Development (Earthscan Studies in Natural Resource Management). London: Routledge.

Croson, R., & Bolton, G.E. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Economic Conflict Resolution. Oxford et al.: Oxford University Press.

Sandole, D.J.D., Byrne, S., Sandole-Staroste, I., & Senehi, J. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. London and New York: Routledge.

Wärneryd, K. (2014). The Economics of Conflict: Theory and Empirical Evidence. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Scientific journals (international, peer-reviewed) for the themes of this chapter: “International Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution”, “Journal of Conflict Resolution”, “Environmental Policy and Management”, “Environmental Management”.

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Bruckmeier, K. (2020). Conflict, Relapse and Failure in the Sustainability Process: Neglected Problems. In: Economics and Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56627-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56627-2_7

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