Search Results (27)

The existing body of knowledge underpinning welfare state theory suggests that most welfare systems depend on growth. It signifies that the state–market mechanism is a prerequisite for achieving welfare. However, the current ecological crisis highlights the detrimental effects of unchecked economic growth, which often exploits human and natural resources. This phenomenon calls for a countermovement that protects society and natural resources through social and public policies. Within the domain of sustainable welfare, an argument points towards the need to gain an empirical understanding of sustainable welfare policies and gather qualitative evidence that explains the conditions and mechanisms of “better” eco-social performance. This article aims to identify conditions leading to achieving sustainable welfare outcomes and discern under which conditions sustainable welfare outcomes are attainable or fail, especially in the context of the Global South. It draws on empirical data to analyse the locality-based welfare systems of 22 villages across decentralised Indonesia using a conditions-oriented approach of the crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The findings shed light on the institutional setting and policy mix leading to sustainable welfare outcomes in less-industrialised, informal economy-based, and highly decentralised country contexts. The evidence points to the presence of sustainable welfare outcomes when a substantial level of subsidiarity, self-governance, and meaningful community participation, and a policy mix covering basic needs, services for vulnerable groups, a functioning local economy, and innovative ecological practices are in place. While past research predominantly leans towards a statist-focused approach to sustainable welfare, this study proposes a society-focused perspective. It argues that transforming both modes of production and relational dynamics among society, state, and market in the Global South context is necessary, where an empowered society serves as a prerequisite for sustainable welfare outcomes. Full article

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been a pivotal international instrument for global biodiversity conservation since 1992. The recent Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) aims to provide a pathway for the CBD for the present decade. However, the practicalities of land use and biodiversity conservation pose significant challenges. Drawing from diverse literature and reports, we identify nine implementation challenges for the GBF. These encompass harmonising conservation with sustainable development, integrating local values and indigenous knowledge, adopting a holistic landscape approach, and prioritising effective local governance. A shift from broad targets to explicit conservation metrics is vital. We propose strategies emphasising building institutional capacity for localised, participatory conservation and policy-making processes. This article offers suggestions for improving the GBF’s implementation and shaping future policy frameworks. Full article

The internationally accepted goal of eliminating climate gas emissions implies substantial investments in renewable energy (RE) facilities. This will inevitably lead to major impacts on landscapes. Landscape concerns linked to RE facilities are already leading to controversies in many local communities. In this article, we focus on the question of landscape democracy related to the establishment of RE facilities. Based on recommendations from the European Landscape Convention, an analytical framework is presented identifying three main dimensions of landscape democracy, followed by an overview of arrangements, procedures, and methods that are or may be used to encourage democracy. The procedures and methods are analyzed based on examples from Denmark and Norway. This is followed by an analysis of decision levels with a special focus on the principle of subsidiarity. Finally, recommendations are presented to strengthen landscape democracy in relation to the installation of RE facilities. Full article

The sustainability of the climate is a global problem that requires the involvement of all levels of public governance and the private sector. Energy issues play a crucial role in the Green Deal (GD), and many of these issues are being addressed at the local government (LG) level. The division of competences within the framework of the GD among the European Union (EU), national governments, LGs, and the private sector has not been sufficiently discussed. Existing studies often neglect the specific role of LGs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which the role of LGs aligns with the core principles of public governance, namely sustainability, solidarity, subsidiarity, and proportionality. The novelty of this study’s methodology lies in the comprehensive and integrated application of all four principles to assess the distribution of competences necessary to achieve global goals. The conclusion of the study demonstrates that, although the functionality and competences of LGs generally comply with these principles, the role of LGs as consultants to and co-legislators with national and EU authorities should be further discussed and expanded. Overall, this study highlights the importance of strengthening the role of LGs as valuable contributors to the governance process. Full article

The main challenges faced by Europe for 2030 concern the achievement of 30% of protected marine surfaces, the improvement of connections between marine protected areas (MPAs), and especially, their more efficient management. The governance of MPAs is therefore called upon to strengthen its objectives, becoming part of a wider network of actors in dialogue with economic counterparts, addressing manifold interference and impacts, and ultimately strengthening biodiversity protection. This work explores the local dimension of MPAs’ governance through the opportunities offered by the Interreg MED TUNE UP project “Promoting multilevel governance for tuning up biodiversity protection in marine areas” (2019–2022), which commits to enhancing the effectiveness of MPAs in the Mediterranean, through the implementation of Environmental Contracts. Based on this experience, a two-fold analysis of multiple case studies has been developed, considering both the local and the European scale of regulations and governance chains. The results show that the MPA Contract is an effective tool to improve the governance of European MPAs and thus tackle the local responses to EU and national protection policies through a process of vertical and horizontal subsidiarity. The need for an interinstitutional dialogue to address the establishment of effective environmental governance and the enforcement of regulations affecting marine areas has been highlighted. Full article

The quality of education is a political priority. The European Union contributes through the principle of subsidiarity. In the Finnish and Italian education systems, assessment becomes fundamental and is closely connected to qualitative organization and to the objective of providing reliable information to plan effective policies with an increase in learning outcomes at various levels (i.e., local, regional, and national). This research explores the Italian and Finnish education systems to outline how they facilitate creating schooling systems that follow the objectives set by Agenda 2030 and are increasingly aimed at sustainability, an essential element in the relationship between humans and the environment. This study was enriched by new ideas and further research perspectives through field experience from a methodological point of view, starting from the international debate linked to the issue of sustainability and examining the OECD survey (PISA, in which European countries took part, specifically the experience of job shadowing in the city of Oulu). This investigation has highlighted the actions carried out in the Finnish educational path with the aim of tracing a “sustainable path” as an international model to follow. Full article

Jethro’s dialogue with his son-in-law, Moses, in the Book of Exodus 18: 8–26 can be summarised according to the four-fold elements of subsidiarity, communitarian responsibility, delegation, and synodality, which lead to focus in life. The Elder priest of Midian, in north-western Arabia, advises his son-in-law to practise subsidiarity and communitarian ethical responsibility by undertaking the fundamental task of teaching the precepts, statutes, and instructions that would form the backbone of the twelve-tribe nation of Israel. Subsidiarity and delegation were to be exercised by different levels of leadership, together with Moses himself, in the choice of the exemplary leaders who would both teach Israel and judge minor issues among its people. Finally, synodality is advised by Jethro so that the People of Israel and their leaders can reach their ultimate aim in the Promised Land in peace. Subsidiarity, communitarian responsibility, delegation and synodality would bring Israel as a nation gathered around their one God, YHWH, according to the aim for which they were called from slavery in Egypt to freedom in Canaan. Full article

The Large Machine Factory (LMF) was built in the complex historical context of the late Qing Dynasty (1840–1912). Its space and construction faithfully record the architectural and cultural fusion between Chinese and western traditions and mark the beginning of modern architectural techniques in China. Through historical data and empirical studies, the historical background and architectural characteristics of the LMF were analyzed, and interventions aimed at ensuring authenticity were established. The cultural significance and results of construction were considered two crucial elements in terms of outstanding characteristics. Comprehensive inspection and assessment strategies were discussed, with minimal intervention and interpretation principles. Preventive reinforcement of the foundation, complementary reinforcement of the main structures, restoration of the historic façade and environment, and adaptive spatial interventions were found to be effective ways to ensure authenticity. The principles of minimal intervention and interpretability, which include prevention, recognizability, invisibility, subsidiarity, and intertextuality, were proposed through a comparison with the literature and practical experience. This study provides an appropriate technical reference for ensuring authenticity in the conservation and reuse of modern historic buildings with complex contexts. We propose a new understanding of intervention principles and suggest a guiding intervention path that avoids the complexities arising from the generalized interpretations of authenticity. Full article

American parents and school leaders are debating whether critical race and gender theories belong in public schools, with many parents turning to home school. Many of these parents will instinctively rely on John Locke’s educational theory, since he famously argued for parental control of education. This essay will summarize Locke’s educational theory and then survey some educational moments in American history to reveal that political leaders have often wavered between individual rights and communal control of education. The essay then argues that Benedict XVI provides a better educational resource for concerned parents. Benedict’s educational perspective flows from his understanding of theology and culture. Benedict argues for parental choice, but within the context of solidarity. For Benedict, teaching children a Christian perspective of human nature within private and home schools becomes an act of communal solidarity, particularly when the community embraces false views of human nature. I conclude by suggesting that although Benedict provides a deeper educational resource than John Locke does, concerned parents should keep Locke’s skepticism in mind. Lockean skepticism can protect against naivete. Full article

Innovation in education has been heavily focused on pedagogical, technological, or regulatory elements, while service innovation relates to other elements involving interpersonal and community co-production too. This paper provides a conceptual framework to understand innovation in education from a service economic perspective. This is done by bridging two rather disconnected research areas: service innovation and education innovation. The results indicate that (i) the characteristics of education as a service (such as interactive co-production) should be taken into account to better understand how innovations are created and implemented; (ii) innovation modes in education can be aligned with service innovation modes, mainly when a public service logic is adopted; (iii) the tension existing in service innovation between customization and standardization is replicated in the education sector; and (iv) multiagent frameworks in service innovation are particularly visible in innovative learning communities. Managerial and policy implications should be guided by service-friendly principles such as freedom, autonomy, and subsidiarity. Full article

The Italian Electronic Health Record (called the FSE) is based on a federated architectural model and involves various types of health data and documents deriving from public and private health stakeholders. Clinical documents are stored in repositories and indexed in a central regional index (registry) according to a defined metadata schema. The FSE repositories can be distributed in the regional network or centralized at the regional level, or regions can use subsidiarity services offered by the National Infrastructure for the regional FSEs Interoperability. In this scenario, this study addresses the open issue of the FSE documents’ long-term preservation and access over time, since the responsibility of their preservation is distributed among different stakeholders. As a consequence, the process traceability is necessary to ensure that a document indexed in an FSE is accessible over time, regardless of the document local discard policies applied for legal fulfilments. The results of this study show that the enhancement of metadata use could support the management and long-term preservation of the FSE documents. Addressing this issue is, finally, fundamental to guarantee the correct tracing and access to the clinical path of a patient and to ensure the efficiency of the entire care setting. Full article

This article aims to explore the political dilemmas of sustainable metropolitan development marked by intense tensions between ecology and economy within the context of neoliberal urban policies over the Case of Istanbul, Turkey. It investigates the re-scaling and centralization of the state in directing the investment capital and focuses on the ways in which it reregulates and loosens the institutions to create exceptionalities in order to realize mega projects. It examines Canal Istanbul and the “New City” or the Yenişehir Project, the so-called “crazy project” imposed upon the city by the central government, which presents a crucial case demonstrating the processes of creating exceptionalities and the erosion of public norms. Empirically, drawing from the Turkish experience through an in-depth analysis of policy documents, plans and reports prepared by a variety of agents, the article demonstrates and discusses different modalities of creating exceptions to capitalize on the lucrative real estate markets through mega projects in an increasingly authoritarian neoliberal context, its ramifications on the existing norms and the oppositions it raised. The article concludes with a discussion on how the new political climate that moved away from subsidiarity, transparency and democratic participation, and became increasingly centralized, created an impasse for planning and that neither the ecology nor the economy could be protected and enhanced. Although economic development discourse is used to legitimize these mega projects, it is obvious that they lead to an ecocide. Full article

Decentralization policy forms part of a broader global ideology and effort of the international donor community in favor of subsidiarity and local participation, and represents a paradigm shift from top-down command-and-control systems. Since 2003, the formalization of property rights through titling became an integral component of decentralized land administration efforts in Ghana. The creation of new forms of local government structures and the related changes in the distribution of responsibilities between different levels of government have an impact on natural resource management, the allocation of rights, and the unequal distribution of powers. This paper aims to understand how decentralization reforms modify the balance of power between public administration, customary authorities, and resource end-users in Ghana. Decentralization’s impact is analyzed based on two case studies. Relying on purposive and snowball sampling techniques, and mixed methods, we conducted 8 key informant interviews with local government bureaucrats in land administration, 16 semi-structured interviews with allodial landholders, 20 biographic interviews and 8 focus group discussions with small-scale farmers. The interviews analyzed the institutions and the roles of actors in land administration. Our case studies show that decentralization has the tendency to increase local competition in land administration where there are no clear distribution of power and obligation to local actors. Local competition and elitism in land administration impact the ability of small-scale farmers to regularize or formalize land rights. Thus, the paper concludes that local competition and the elitism within the land administration domain in Ghana could be the main obstacles towards decentralization reforms. Full article

In Sub-Saharan African countries, governments are increasingly devolving natural resource management from central administration to the local government level as a trend toward subsidiarity. In parallel, efforts to implement formalization processes have resulted in a puzzling institutional arena, wherein mixed actors are struggling to influence the paths of institutional change and the associated distribution of land and land-related resources. Relying on political ecology and new institutionalism in social anthropology, we investigate how the decentralization of formalization of rights in artisanal and small-scale gold mining can lead to paradoxical outcomes, often negatively impacting social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Two comparative case studies are performed in Ghana. Our results show that the negative effects of formalization efforts for resource end users are to be understood in the broad context of actors’ repositioning strategies following the selective implementation of decentralization. The authors conclude that increasing the power of the central government and line ministries to control local resources can influence the disenfranchisement of local people’s participation and control of natural resources, resulting in a relentless environmental crisis. Full article

Climate compatibility is a cornerstone in the ecological transformation of modern society. In order to achieve sustainable development in all areas of society, numerous social actors must participate. This article examines the potential for the Catholic Church in German-speaking countries to contribute to such change. To this end, in contrast to most current studies, the Church is conceptualized as a multi-level actor instead of focusing only on the top of the hierarchy. Case studies are used to explore how various Church actors in different fields of social action evoke ecological awareness among members and non-members alike or participate in changing social structures. Full article