Facilitating good governance for our future
Sustainability has become perhaps the most important issue of the 21st century that ensures the well-being and continuity of society and ecosystems on our planet. The EU-funded project 'Governance for sustainability' (G-FORS) studied how knowledge was acquired and exploited in the 'knowledge society' to govern sustainability. It looked at how policies regarding the environment and sustainability are drafted and implemented. G-FORS analysed new government modes, different forms of knowledge and evolution of a knowledge society. It looked at the different forms of knowledge and their interaction in understanding sustainability, with particular focus on decisions vs. risks. Researchers looked at problem-solving capacities and policy implementation related to the areas of emissions trade, air quality management and strategic environmental assessment. The project also articulated indicators to measure political, economic and administrative processes to help develop sustainable policies in environmental, social and economic spheres, among others. It assessed the key economic, social and political roles that sub-national actors could play in governance. G-FORS examined the concepts of sustainability and policymaking in this regard, noting that the three dimensions of sustainability (consistency, comprehensiveness and aggregation) were difficult to reconcile. This often led to dominance of one dimension or certain policy incoherence. The project's strategy involved gathering information about target audiences, creating a database and establishing a website for the project. All workshop results and project findings were disseminated to stakeholders, fostering good practice in sustainable governance across Europe.
