Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

Democracy and Sustainability: Insights into a Complex Relationship

22.02.2022

In contemporary societies, the relationship between democracy and sustainability has become ever more complex. A new handbook edited by IASS researchers provides comprehensive and critical coverage of this topic from both a theoretical level and through analysis of political discourses and practices.

Democracy is the only promising route for dealing with the complexity of sustainability issues in an adequate way.
Democracy is the only promising route for dealing with the complexity of sustainability issues in an adequate way.

International scholars from different disciplines, such as political science, sociology, philosophy, and international relations, look at the present state of the relationship between democracy and sustainability, asking how it has evolved and where it is likely to go in the future. They examine compatibilities and tensions, continuities and changes, as well as challenges and potentials across theoretical, empirical and practical contexts.

The collection brings together multiple established and emerging viewpoints on the debate between democracy and sustainability. It comprises theoretical and methodological perspectives discussing democracy’s role in, and potential for, coping with environmental issues at the local and global scales. The handbook provides an overview of arguments, claims, questions, and insights that are put forward regarding the relationship between democracy and sustainability. It aims to not only consolidate and condense, but also to broaden and capture the many nuances of the debate.

It can serve as a knowledge source for professionals who seek to develop action strategies that do justice to both sustainability and democracy, as well as providing a valuable reference for academic researchers, lecturers and students.

Bornemann, B., Knappe, H., Nanz, P. (Eds.)(2022): The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability, London : Routledge, 536 p.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429024085

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