Suchergebnisse

Preface -- Chapter 1. Assessing the Household Preference Level for Sustainable Clean Cooking Energy in Lagos State, Nigeria: Case Study of Biofuel -- Chapter 2. The Challenges and Opportunities for Climate Change Education at Makerere University in Kampala Uganda -- Chapter 3. Sustainable Cropping Intensification and its Role on Profitability of Cassava-Based Farms in a Changing Climate: Evidence from Rivers State, Nigeria -- Chapter 4. COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A THREAT TOWARDS ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS IN ZIMBABWE'S RURAL COMMUNITIES -- Chapter 5. Experimental study of fire behavior in annually burned humid savanna of West Africa in the context of bush encroachment -- Chapter 6. NEW WEEDING TECHNOLOGY: A SOLUTION FOR IMPROVING THE WELFARE OF RICE PRODUCERS IN CAMEROON -- Chapter 7. Possibilities of translanguaging pedagogy for sustainable education in Africa -- Chapter 8. But we cannot do it all': Investors' sustainability tensions and strategic selectivity in the development of Kenya's largest geothermal energy plants in Olkaria -- Chapter 9. Fostering university contribution towards sustainable development within an African context: The instrumentality of indigenous knowledge system -- Chapter 10. Gender, agricultural productivity and sustainability in Cameroon.

Purpose
There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It surveys a sample of universities in Brazil, Germany, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the UK and the USA to ascertain the extent to which universities that are active in the field of sustainable development have formal policies on sustainable development, and whether such policies are a pre-condition for successful sustainability efforts.


Design/methodology/approach
The study involved 35 universities in seven countries (five universities respectively). A mixed-methods approach has been used, ranging from document analysis, website analysis, questionnaires and interviewing.


Findings
Although only 60 per cent of the sampled universities had a policy that specifically addressed SD, this cannot be regarded as an indicator that the remaining 40 per cent are not engaged with substantial actions that address SD. Indeed, all of the universities in the sample, regardless of the existence of a SD formal policy, demonstrated engagement with environmental sustainability policies or procedures in some form or another. This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Despite this, it is one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.


Research limitations/implications
This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities.


Practical implications
The findings provide some valuable insights into the connections between SD policies on the one hand and the practice of sustainable development in higher education institutions on the other.


Social implications
Universities with SD policies can contribute to models of economic growth consistent with sustainable development.


Originality/value
The study is the one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.