This paper assesses the relevance of social investment in relation to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets, and indicators. The research question is: How could social investment support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals? The thesis conceptualises social investment, sustainable development, and sustainability, before turning to the issue of how social investment could enhance its impact by focusing on areas of policy that it has not considered typically. This thesis goes beyond addressing the SDGs themselves to consider other issues that shall arguably be significant in relation to achievement of the 2030 Agenda, such as the contentious matter of limits to growth. The thesis includes a content analysis of the global indicator framework for the 2030 Agenda, based upon social investment-related search terms and focused reading of particular examples from the social investment literature. The first part of the analysis suggests that social investment in its current form can contribute towards Goal 4 on quality education and Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth; and to a somewhat lesser extent towards Goal 1 on no poverty, Goal 5 on gender equality, and Goal 10 on reduced inequalities. The analysis considers subsequently further SDGs that social investment could ultimately support. While recognising the value of social investment as understood usually for policymaking to achieve the SDGs, the concluding section suggests that a broadened version of social investment could strengthen policy relevance.

Den svenska strategin för att implementera en cirkulär ekonomi avser att stödja Agenda 2030 för hållbar utveckling. Dock kritiserar den akademiska litteraturen konceptet cirkulär ekonomi för bristande inkludering av social hållbarhet. Eftersom implementeringsåtgärder redan införs storskaligt både nationellt och i EU, har frågan lyfts om dess lämplighet i olika regionala kontext. Således ämnar denna studie att undersöka hur de aviserade åtgärderna för cirkulär ekonomi förväntas påverka social hållbarhet i svenska storstads- och landsbygdskommuner på olika sätt. En enkätundersökning utfördes till folkvalda politiker i 37 svenska kommuner. Resultaten visar att sociala hållbarhetsaspekter generellt inte förväntas påverkas nämnvärt i omställningen till cirkulär ekonomi. Detta kan förklaras med dess frånvaro i den politiska konceptualiseringen av cirkulär ekonomi. Vidare finner vi att landsbygdskommuner generellt är mer positiva till styrmedel för cirkulär ekonomi än storstadskommunerna. Vi avslutar med att föreslå att den svenska politiska tolkningen av cirkulär ekonomi skulle kunna justeras för att bidra till sociala hållbarhetsmål mer effektivt. / The Swedish strategy for implementing a circular economy aims to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, academic literature is increasingly criticizing the circular economy concept for its lack of inclusion of social sustainability. With implementation measures already taking place economy-wide both nationally and in the EU, questions have been raised concerning its suitability to different regional contexts. Thus, this study aims to explore how the announced policies for circular economy are expected to affect social sustainability in urban and rural Swedish municipalities differently. A survey was conducted to elected officials in 37 Swedish municipalities. The results show that social sustainability aspects are generally not expected to be noticeably affected in the transition to circular economy. This could be due to its absence in the political conceptualization of the circular economy. Furthermore, we find that rural municipalities are generally more positive to the circular economy policies than their urban counterparts. We conclude by proposing that the Swedish political interpretation of the circular economy could be adjusted to support social Sustainable Development Goals more effectively.

This thesis studies the transfer of disability targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to the local level in Sweden and how this implementation contributes to the Agenda’s result on a global scale. In the summary of its final official report to the Swedish Government (SOU 2019:13), the Swedish Delegation for the 2030 Agenda states that the expression ‘sustainable development’ is applied in Sweden in two ways: while it is used witha focus on its environmental dimension, there is another, broader definition that also encompasses its social and economic dimensions. In its own terms, the Delegation consistently adheres to the broader definition, in accordance with the meaning of the 2030 Agenda (SOU 2019:13, p. 27). Rather than concentrating on the more amply researched and documented environmental dimension, this thesis highlights a social and economic dimension of the Agenda’s local implementation, bearing in mind the Agenda’s pledge that no one willbe left behind. It examines how those among the 169 targets dealing with the interests of people with disabilities are transposed down to the local level and implemented. The conclusion points at the fact that, although all goals seem understood as indivisible at each level, results may uncover a big difference in how they are implemented and/or measured inpractice, at each of the political-administrative levels involved, which makes it difficult to produce data on quantifiable progress on a specific target.

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.

Global social injustice and inequalities remain deeply embedded in our globalized world, often explained as a consequence of the current economic structures and institutions. Therefore, there has been an increase in arenas that attracts mobilization of the global civil society to oppose the neoliberal economic globalization and combat social injustices and inequalities. The World Social Forum (WSF) is an example of an arena that emerged with these purposes. However, research shows that there are criticism regarding the character and function of the WSF. This literature study examines the reasons behind the criticism and compares them with the WSF’s charter of principles to see if the WSF is living up to its ideals. It also analyzes if the WSF’s principles are reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This is done through a content analysis and within the framework of social justice and transnational public sphere. The study concludes that the WSF does not live up to its ideals because of a lack in organizational structure, exclusive and elitist character, and also the inequalities and inequities that are reinforced within the WSF. Moreover, the study shows that the WSF’s principles can be found among the 17 SDGs in the 2030 Agenda which can indicate that the WSF has had an indirect role in influencing global development policies.

The United Nations member states adopted and signed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, establishing a framework for global discussion on sustainable development. The inclusion of 'Economic Growth' in these goals begs the question of what constitutes sustainable economic growth in the eyes of the UN. This insight, in conjunction with the ongoing debate about the growth paradigm, growthism, and the limits to growth, is, to put it mildly, fascinating and worth examining. Numerous studies conducted on this issue reveal that conventional economic growth is unsustainable and that alternative strategies must be used to bring about a paradigm shift. The purpose of this research is to determine whether traits of a competing discourse known as 'Degrowth' may be detected in the United Nations' discourse of sustainable economic growth. Whilst sustainable development has been a prominent topic for decades, Degrowth can be perceived as a more recent, less mainstream, and even radical discourse. The discourse emphasizes the limits to growth and advocates for democratically-led shrinking in production and consumption with the goal of achieving equality, justice and ecological sustainability. In order to accomplish the research project’s objective, the discourse and key characteristics of Degrowth are explored.  The study was conducted as a qualitative case study (design) using document analysis as the method. The analysis was guided by the theoretical lens combining Dryzek’s discourse analysis approach and Cosme et al.’s framework. By examining solely documents produced by the UN itself, this analysis concluded that while there are some parallels between the UN’s discourse of sustainable economic growth and Degrowth, there is a distinct difference between the two. The SDGs represent the traditional understanding of sustainable development, a discourse in which it is believed that economic growth can and will be decoupled from ecological degradation and that growth, in fact, is the key to poverty eradication, whereas Degrowth represents a school of thought in which the capitalistic system is viewed as the culprit to a majority of issues at hand and that decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation has been declared as debunked.

Orientador: Regina Celia Baptista Belluzzo / Resumo: A estruturação, análise e fomento de diretrizes em prol da sociedade é fundamental para que o poder público cumpra sua função social. Resulta que possuir instrumentos adequados e dinâmicos para este propósito se faz essencial. Um importante e significativo norteador para o planejamento das ações de desenvolvimento dos municípios é a Agenda 2030, definida pela ONU como sendo um plano de ação que busca erradicar a pobreza, proteger o planeta e garantir que as pessoas alcancem a paz e a prosperidade até o ano de 2030. A agenda inclui metas e os 17 ODS, que são os objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável, sendo um plano de governo para toda a sociedade. O município de Bauru está localizado geograficamente no centro do estado mais populoso do Brasil, com população estimada de 344 mil pessoas, e com o Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano Municipal (IDHM) de 0,801, segundo o site do IBGE (2010). Esses indicadores macroeconômicos permitem formar uma ideia de desenvolvimento socioeconômico da cidade. No entanto, a cidade não possui plataforma própria que evidencie suas reais demandas, tornando relevante a geração de dados mais específicos e que sejam de seu domínio, possibilitando formular a qualquer tempo, as suas estratégias de desenvolvimento local. Os principais conceitos que permeiam este trabalho são políticas públicas, indicadores socioeconômicos e competência em informação e midiática, com o objetivo de oferecer elementos para a produção de informação de interesse do município e d... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The structuring, analysis and promotion of guidelines in favor of society is essential for the government to fulfill its social function. It follows that having adequate and dynamic instruments for this purpose is essential. An important and significant guide for planning municipal development actions is the 2030 Agenda, defined by the UN as an action plan that seeks to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that people achieve peace and prosperity up to 2030. The agenda includes objectives and the 17 OSGs, which are the objectives of sustainable development, being a governance plan for the entire society. Bauru is located geographically in the center of the most populous state in Brazil, with an estimated population of 344,000 inhabitants, and the Municipal Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.801, according to the IBGE website (2010). These macroeconomic indicators allow us to form an idea of the socio-economic development of the city. However, the city does not have its own platform to clearly highlight its needs, which makes it more relevant to generate more specific data found on its domain, allowing its local development strategies to be formulated at any time. The main concepts that permeate this work are public policies, socioeconomic indicators and media information and competence, with the aim of providing elements for the production of information of interest to the city and the dissemination of media for the various social sectors. The following research w... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Uppsala municipality has set a goal in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development to be fossil-free by 2030. To achieve this a lot of local companies have signed the Uppsala Climate Protocol. One of these companies is the municipal facility management company AB Uppsala Kommun Industrihus, Ihus. This project aimed to help Ihus map their emissions connected to facility maintenance and management and to enable them to reach their goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030.  The daily facility management was split up into the categories gardening, ventilation and installation, cleaning and facility work, materials and products, renovations, and painting. A sustainability spend analysis was performed on Ihus’ organisation and emissions per spent MSEK were calculated for each category by researching Ihus’ suppliers. By using those emission intensities, the two categories with the highest emissions could be identified as renovations and materials and products with intensities of 84.48 and 57.56 tonnes CO2e/MSEK, respectively. The remaining categories all had intensities below 3 tonnes CO2e/MSEK.  Sensitivity analyses were performed on the results by tweaking the values of which the emissions were based on. The results showed that to lessen Ihus’ climate impact the areas of improvement are life cycle assessments for their facilities and overseeing transports.

The purpose of this study is to examine the integration of gender and environmental policies in Stockholm municipality. The study seeks to address the integration of these policy areas as itbuilds on previous research that have already established that the integration of the two can support the achievement of sustainable development. However, as tensions and synergies between these policies are not that well-explored, this study adds to literature by identifyingtensions and synergies in terms of policy integration between gender and environment. The study seeks to answer to what extent these policies are integrated, what challenges, tensions,and possibilities to find synergies there are. This is done through a single case study and content analysis. The study presents a merging of the two theories policy integration and ecofeminism, which is divided into five themes and numerous codes for the analysis. Five policy documents from the municipality and eight interview transcripts with civil servants is analysed. The study found that there are some aspects of integration between the two already, but to a limited extent. It identifies tensions between gender and environment as well as structural and organisational challenges for integrating these policy areas. Moreover, synergies were identified between these policy areas. Some interesting findings of the data was that it indicated success to integrate these policy areas in some parts of the policy-process, whereas there were limitations to integrate in other parts. Therefore, the study concludes that there needs to be ensuring mechanisms for the integration in the whole policy-process and to take advantage of the synergies that appears. Hence, this study suggests that for future research it would be interesting to investigate other aspects of the policy-process. The study also concludes that the results can be extended to other municipalities or local governments that are facing the same challenges to consider many aspects while working in silos.

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