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Weak or strong sustainability : an appraisal of the influence of economic condition & population growth on a country’s sustainable development type

Bojang, Alieu S. (2020) Weak or strong sustainability : an appraisal of the influence of economic condition & population growth on a country’s sustainable development type.

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Abstract:The main purpose of this study is to find out the extent to which population growth and the economic condition of a country, have an influence on the type of SD the country follows. Despite ubiquitous calls for development to be sustainable, scholars still disagree on the meaning, form, and how countries should achieve sustainability. While others call for a strong type of sustainable development, opponents call for a weak sustainability type. This leaves countries in a state of quandary. This thesis accentuated that instead of focusing on the ‘how’, we should rather seek to find out ‘what’ influences the SD of a country; as only then we can find an answer to how we can achieve sustainability. Since sustainable development is intertwined with economic development, we reckon to find out the influence of economic conditions on the type of SD that countries follow. Notwithstanding, this question remains lingering and untested in academia. Another factor that is assumed to affect SD is population growth and hence taken as the second variable in this study. However, since countries differ in their economic level, we deemed it necessary to find out if the discrepancy in their economic condition will relate to a certain type of sustainable development. Ergo, we adopted a case study design to look at the relationship between population growth and economic conditions and the type of SD in countries that are most different in their economic conditions: developed and least developed countries (LDCs). The results showed that population growth and the economic condition of a country influence the type of SD that a country follows. The extent of which is strong in some countries and very weak in others. As for population, it only influences the increase in demand and consumption of natural resources and ecosystem services in LDCs and not developed countries.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:43 environmental science, 70 social sciences in general, 88 social and public administration
Programme:Public Administration MSc (60020)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/83057
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