Several attempts have been made over the last two decades to define Sustainable Development. However, although there is a broad consensus over the generic concept, it has not helped in its operationalization or implementation. In recent years, there has been a turn towards other ways of thinking, which start not from the ultimate goal but the nature of action involved in the concept (see, e.g. Banuri and Najam 2002). Clearly, the pursuit of sustainable development requires policy commitment and political will; it also appears to require motivation and involvement of civil society. Finally, it requires the sustained production of relevant knowledge by researchers, scholars and technical experts as well as those involved in mobilizing civil society and business.
The demand for knowledge consists not only the policy-relevant knowledge of use governmental decision makers – including governmental ministries, departments and agencies as well as political parties and parliamentary bodies – but also technical knowledge relevant to business application, market knowledge useful for intermediary groups, social knowledge relevant for civic bodies, communities and public institutions, and political knowledge relevant to activists. Furthermore, such knowledge needs to be produced on a sustained basis rather than in an ad hoc or unpredictable manner.
There is almost universal awareness amongst governments and funding institutions as well as researchers that the pursuit of sustainable development necessitates the production of technical, social, and analytical knowledge. This places demands on both policy makers and policy analysts. Issues of ecological and social sustainability involve significant scientific and political uncertainties and require an understanding of long term impacts across geographical, sectoral and disciplinary boundaries. More importantly, they require an enabling environment, one in which different perspectives and frameworks can be brought together in a synergistic manner, and where differences can be resolved by an appeal to independent analysis and judgment.
