No / This book demonstrates how the capability approach to human development can contribute to the realisation of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The capability approach dictates that success should not be measured by economic indicators, but by people leading meaningful, free, fulfilled, happy or satisfied lives. Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, this book argues that it is vital that the focus for the SDGs should shift to benefiting the most vulnerable. Case studies from across Asia, Africa, Latin America (global south), and the USA, UK, and Australia (global north) consider how the capability approach can contribute as a practical framework to achieving the SDGs’ ambitions for social, economic, political, and legal progress. Drawing on insights from a range of disciplines, this book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners from law, politics, international relations, criminology, international development, sociology, public policy, area studies and others.

The aim of this qualitative interpretive study is to look into SDG implementation in Sweden from a governance for sustainable development perspective. This research is to be seen as a first attempt at mapping the state of governance for sustainable development in relation to SDG implementation in Sweden – further research is both necessary and welcomed in order to get a complete picture of the situation. Seven key components of governance for sustainable development developed by Gibson et al. (2005) are used as a theoretical framework for the study. Those key components are; policy integration; shared sustainability objectives; sustainability based criteria for planning and approval of significant undertakings; specified rules for managing trade-offs and compromises; widely accepted indicators of needs for action and progress towards sustainability; information and incentives for practical implementation, and; programmes for system innovation. Previous research as well as reports from organizations such as the OECD and the European Commission have been used to evaluate the state of these components in Sweden, primarily from an environmental sustainability perspective. Conclusions reached include that the main components relevant for Swedish implementation of the SDGs are: policy integration, shared sustainability objectives and widely accepted indicators for needs for action and progress towards sustainable development. Another conclusion drawn is that the level of fulfillment in some of these key components does not necessarily correspond with the likelihood of successful SDG implementation. Further research is being suggested for   a governance-related mapping of the social and economic pillars of sustainable development. Together with the environmental pillar they are essential for the holistic approach that sustainable development deserves.

Social and economic challenges in one part of the world influence budgets, security, health, and well being of populations globally as was the case with the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Deficits in healthcare, education, governance, and the economy in African nations result in financial and social contributions from the diaspora residing in the United States. Many African-born immigrants to Florida came with useful knowledge and experience from their home nations that could be a valuable resource in carrying out effective development initiatives. However, accessing that knowledge is challenging. The purpose of this research was to explore the inclusion of members of the African diaspora community in Florida nonprofit development initiatives. The transnational theory of migration underpinned the following research question: What are barriers to, and opportunities for, including members of the African diaspora in Florida-based NPOs that carry out development programs in Africa? Semistructured interviews were conducted with Florida nonprofit leaders (N= 21) who have development projects in Africa. Manual and computer assisted methods using NVivo 11 were used to develop codes and themes for data analysis. Identified barriers to including African diaspora in NPOs included lack of established networks and organizational awareness as well as limited service areas, service locations, funding, and leadership roles. All respondents expressed interest in engaging with diaspora members and other nonprofit leaders via expat networks. Successful engagement with the African diaspora community could promote positive social change by improving program delivery, communication, and programmatic outcomes for a mutual impact in both African and Florida-based communities.

Following the increase of transnational organisations, global governance today is mainly relying on voluntary standards. One standard is the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This motivates a need to understand how such an idea unfolds within organisations and what impact global CSR standards have, leading to the research question: How are CSR standards deriving from global ideas translated into organisations and influencing sustainability activities? Based on a literature review of Scandinavian institutionalism, soft rules and standards, CSR, traveling of ideas, translation, identity and image, decoupling and aspirational talk, five assumptions were formulated as to what implications the standard might have. These are examined qualitatively through multiple case studies in the Swedish food industry using semi-structured interviews and examining CSR reports. The analysis find partial support for all assumptions. Main findings include the use of the 2030 Agenda mainly as a communication tool, constituting a common sustainability language and a platform for collaborations. The standard is thus interpreted as being symbolically translated. This open up possibilities for future research regarding the translation of standards and the implications of an facilitated way of framing sustainability work, adding the concept of symbolic translation to translation theory.

Some retail companies have been facing boycotts and negative criticism due to their association with sweatshop practices and human rights scandals. In order to deal with such criticism, it has become common for these garment sector businesses to implement corporate responsibility projects in countries in which their independent suppliers are located. These projects fall within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, more specifically on how the private sector can contribute to the achievement of the 8th goal, which is related to decent work and economic growth. In this sense, this work analyzes how the understanding of problems related to work processes influence the design and outcome of an initiative partially implemented by the private sector. A project implemented in Cambodia by H&M, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) was used as case study.

The bioeconomy is a worldwide used strategy to cope with ecological, social, and economic sustainability challenges. However, we analyze current bioeconomy strategies and trends to point out potential sustainability conflicts and transition challenges. Our analysis shows that the bioeconomy is not sustainable per se, as mere input substitution may entail welfare losses. Instead, it requires further debates and actions to avoid exacerbation of ecological and social strains. Sustainability has to be the key concept behind the bioeconomy and predominantly requires (1) sustainability of the resource base and (2) sustainability of processes and products, especially by (3) circular processes of material fluxes, not least to gain consumer acceptance for bio-based products. Otherwise, the bioeconomy would only entail the substitution of fossil resources for bio-based resources potentially lacking the generation of additional societal and ecological benefits and contribution to climate mitigation. As markets alone will not suffice to fulfil this path transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy, we argue that innovative governance is necessary to reduce competitive drawbacks compared to fossil resources (enabling function) and to secure ecological, social, and economic sustainability requirements (limiting function).

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0, has ushered in a new era of technological advancement and disruption across Manufacturing Industries. As organizations embrace digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and automation, the workforce faces profound changes in job roles, skill requirements, and training needs. Several challenges are faced by industries during this Industrial transformation. This research begins by focusing on Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, understanding there evolving concept. Through comprehensive literature review, the challenges and practices faced during this Industrial transformation and SDGs are discussed. Following the literature review, survey and interview questions were drafted trying to dug deeper into aspects that the literature could not fully capture. Furthermore, the relation between this Industrial Transformation and SDGs were established. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamic relationship between technology, the workforce, and sustainable development. This thesis report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, business leaders, educators, and researchers seeking to navigate the transformative landscape of Industrial Transformation and its implications for a rapidly evolving workforce and sustainabledevelopment. / Den fjärde industriella revolutionen, känd som industry 4.0, har introducerat en ny era av teknologisk framsteg och förändringar inom tillverkningsindustrin. När organisationer omfamnar digitala teknologier, artificiell intelligens och automation står arbetskraften inför djupgående förändringar i arbetsroller, kompetenskrav och utbildningsbehov. Under denna industriella omvandling möter företag flera utmaningar. Denna forskning börjar med att fokusera på industry 4.0 och industry 5.0 och förstå deras utvecklande koncept. Genom en omfattande litteraturgenomgång diskuteras de utmaningar och metoder som möter denna industriella omvandling samt deras koppling till hållbarhetsmålen (sdgs).Efter litteraturgenomgången utformades enkät- och intervjuförfrågningar för att fördjupa förståelsen för aspekter som litteraturen inte kunde fånga helt. Vidare etablerades sambandet mellan denna industriella transformation och hållbarhetsmålen. Denna forskning bidrar till en djupare förståelse av den dynamiska relationen mellan teknologi, arbetskraften och hållbar utveckling.Denna avhandling tjänar som en värdefull resurs för beslutsfattare, företagsledare, utbildare och forskare som söker navigera i det föränderliga landskapet av industriell transformation och dess konsekvenser för en snabbt utvecklande arbetskraft och hållbar utveckling.

Sustainability is a topic that gains more attention each year and new legislationforces companies around the world to follow more strict reporting. At the sametime, the United Nations (UN) has updated its Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) to the newer Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aresupposed to be marked throughout corporations, governments, and nations.These new goals are important for both emerging countries as well asdeveloped countries to strive for a better world for all. This thesis aimed toinvestigate what barriers and enablers Multinational Small and Medium-sizedEnterprises (MSMEs) in Sweden met when they incorporated the UN SDGsinto their companies' operations. The research aimed to find how the MSMEsdealt with various barriers, what enablers support SDGs implementation, andthe best practices for other (M)SMEs to follow. A qualitative multi-case studywith different MSMEs in Sweden was chosen through an abductive approachand thematic analysis. Furthermore, the SDGs4SMEs Roadmap to SDGsimplementation in (M)SMEs was created by the authors as a contribution toacademic international business studies as well for Swedish (M)SMEs. In theempirical findings chapter, several barriers and enablers were discovered, andhow MSMEs dealt with them. In the conclusion part, theoretical implicationsare given. Moreover, by comparing the empirical data retrieved, theresearchers identified best practices for (M)SMEs that further facilitate SDGsimplementation. As a result, recommendations for policymakers and managersare conveyed in a step-by-step manner to be easily applicable for most(M)SMEs around Sweden. This is the authors’ contribution, the SDGs4SMEsRoadmap followed by limitations and future research recommendations.

It is a growing belief that transitioning towards sustainable cities requires a wide citizen engagement, yet many local governments are not able to define how citizen engagement should be done. This research was conducted to assess municipalities’ effort in engaging citizens when working for sustainability. This study focuses on creating a strategic guide for municipalities to use when engaging citizens to work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A systemic analysis approach was selected to examine the SDGs through the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, followed by a Value Stream Analysis for the SDGs. Then a mapping method used, where each SDG was linked to a level of citizen engagement on Arnstein’s ladder for citizen engagement (1969). A group interview for practitioners was held in Karlskrona Municipality in Sweden for an evaluation purpose. The results revealed a risk of misalignment for some SDGs, a relational matrix map was created where each SDG was related to a level of Arnstein’s ladder in a graphic visual, which can be used by the municipality as guide to choose the level of engagement for each SDG. A set of insights were revealed concerning the enablers and barriers for citizen engagement in municipal context.

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) put forward 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to beachieved by 2030. Each member state should spare no effort to fulfill the goals for better lives. Thefirst objective of this study was to explore how Big Data could be used to monitor the progress,including the opportunities and challenges that such novel technologies brought. Previous studieswere reviewed critically for the first objective. The second objective was to find out what datainfrastructures were helpful in monitoring the achievement of SDG 7. A systematic mapping studywas performed to accomplish the second objective. 53 SDG-related academic papers were obtained.Their research data and where they were sourced from were manually analyzed and categorized togenerate data infrastructures for SDG 7. Besides, the automated qualitative coding was conductedbased on the manual structure to verify the manually identified data infrastructures and comparetheir frequencies in the selected papers. The methodology of combining manual and automatedqualitative analysis proposed in this study helped find a list of SDG 7 related data infrastructures.Although there were differences between the manual and automated results, the World Bank, UNdatabases, Eurostat, and IEA were considered the most frequently referred data sources; electricitydata and satellite imagery were regarded as the most commonly used data types.