Barriers to Sustainable Development - Research Proposal Example

Barriers to Sustainable Development Course Name Institution Abstract Sustainable development consists of the various long-term strategies that are focused on the development of human needs that are considered current with the consideration of the environmental impact of such projects[Roo14]. Sustainable development looks into the economic viability of a development program before its initiation. That is because sustainability looks into the long term. In addition to that, it considers the various elements of financial considerations, their potential impact, and the overall viability of the project in its usage of the resources and the relativity of the same with the community. It also considers the impact and relevance of the project in relation to the surrounding community. They include the economic, social, and cultural economic barriers towards sustainable development. It takes into consideration the economic, cultural, and social barriers that have considerable impact on the project, and the ones that the development strategies impact directly. Every development strategy must consider sustainability for the classification as a successful development project or strategy. The essay discusses the various factors related to sustainable development, the issues that surround development, the requirements for sustainable development, and the barriers to sustainable development. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 3 Literature Review 5 Methodology 6 Primary Research 7 Analysis 8 Overcoming the Barriers 9 Conclusion 10 References 10 Appendix 1 12 Appendix 2 13 Introduction The essay is a detailed research on sustainability development and the barriers affecting sustainable development. It also includes the possible ways to tackle such barriers to sustainable development and the best practices involved in sustainable development. The essay consists of a literature review of sustainable development, a case study of an initiative of sustainable development, and primary research with regard to the same. The aim is to research on the various elements of sustainable development and determine the barriers of such sustainable development. In addition to that, there is the consideration of the mitigation factors of the barriers to the sustainable development. The case study presented and the primary research is an ideal of the actual scenario of sustainable development and the various factors that seem to push developmental objective into a detrimental state. Economic barriers cause the stagnation of a project since it requires man power, financial input for the labor and consultations, and viability at such economic times. Cultural barriers and social barriers are related to the relevance of such development initiatives in addressing the relevant issues in such communities and the integration of such a project with the lives of such communities[Dee16]. Literature Review The constraints that face economic sustainability of development include the competition for limited resources as in the case of LCDs, the scenarios of undelivered international and national pledges, and other externalities such as the prices of oil, conflict, and natural disasters. The economic and financial barriers are the most dominating models of development. They sometimes focus on the economic element of development and leave out on other relevant issues such as social responsibility. Such includes the environmental processes, their limits, and the rights and welfare of the people involved. It is for such reasons that the environment must be treated as an essential part of the economy during development strategies. Such are the models adopted in countries such as China and most Western countries and are unsustainable. The innovation barriers mostly come from the educational sector as a result of the inadequate learning strategies. There is need for the improvement of the strategies of the research institutes and the relation of the same with the economy. Social barriers are related to the people involved in such projects and the behavioral and operational behavior changes that accompany them. The social barriers also include the societal inequities and the possible marginalization of the poor within the community during such development strategies. Inadequate awareness about such developmental initiatives and projects and the lack of significant interaction between the government and such communities also act as hindrances[Pet92]. The political barriers include the policies and government regulations out in place with regard to the introduction and implementation of certain development initiatives. The lack of adequate and considerate policies acts as a barrier. Such mostly affect the major projects that require considerable government involvement and the related support and provision of the government. When there is the introduction of development initiatives in politically unfriendly environments, the people seldom get involved and such projects either fail during the introduction or implementation stages. For those that survive until the completion, they remain unexplored and end up like a waste of time, especially in Asian and African countries[Wil06]. There are the basic systems such as the monitoring systems and evaluation systems that lack specific targets. The problems are often experienced on a local level and even to national and global levels. The data measurement methods cannot trach the progress of the project and end up lacking in crucial information. Such affects the decision-making processes that depend on such information. Finally, there are the institutional barriers that arise frustrate most development projects, especially in the developing countries. The monitoring and evaluation processes of development strategies require close observation. Only then can they be strengthened and eventually establish a process of improvement that is both dynamic and effective. The focus must be not only on the outcome but the processes such as the socio-economic standing of such development initiatives[Raf16]. Methodology The primary research consists of various data collection methods such as the filling out of questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with the respondents. They are related to an ongoing well-digging project in an arid area. The types of the questionnaires and their respective distribution are determined by the group of respondents. The written questionnaires are sent to the development projects officials through emails whereas all the other questionnaires are used for the focus groups and face-to-face one-on-one interviews. The selection of the interview methods such as the unmonitored filling out of the questionnaires, the focus groups, and interviews takes the type of respondents into consideration. For instance, most of the benefactors include population groups that are not committed enough to respond to the online questionnaires. In addition to that, the selection of the sample is random and impossible to contact be means of emails and other contacts. For instance, some of the interviews consist of random respondents along the street who have an idea about the project under study and the detail about the technical and functional issues faced by such projects. The collection of the contact information of such random respondents is expensive and time-consuming, which are resources not at the disposal of anyone. The selection of the ample respondents Primary Research As described, the sample population is selected randomly and the questions presented to the people willing to contend to the same. The research involves a lot of field work and 60% of the respondents are female and 40% are male. There was a total of 200 respondents. The randomness is seen in the selection criteria that involves the selection of random people from every center in the area such as the town center, the market, the households, and the schools. The sample is a representative of the small community and includes people of all ages because of the consideration of visiting various institutions such as schools to collect information. The results are as follows: BASIC INFORMATION Name Age (bracket) of Respondent 15-25 25-30 Gender M F Inquiry Yes (%) No (%) Neutral/ undecided (%) Awareness of the nature of the project a)Yes b) No 80 15 5 The consideration of the climatic, cultural, and economic factors by the development initiative a) Yes b) No 60 30 10 Relevance of the project to the community and individuals 30 60 10 Popularity of the project to the community members 40 40 20 Is there high community involvement 30 60 10 Is there governmental hindrance towards the project 10 80 10 Adherence of the project to the relevant requirements and CSR 20 60 20 Analysis Social barriers are related to the people involved in such projects and the behavioral and operational behavior changes that accompany them. The social barriers also include the societal inequities and the possible marginalization of the poor within the community during such development strategies. Inadequate awareness about such developmental initiatives and projects and the lack of significant interaction between the government and such communities also act as hindrances. Whenever development initiatives are characterized by poor monitoring, there is the result of information gaps in areas such as data measurement on a local, national, and international level. Such instances make it difficult to track the progress of the data, which makes it difficult for decision-makers to explore with various options and decide the best courses of action on time. It is for that reason that the government must be concerned on not only the outcome of the development initiatives. It is only during the process that it is possible to track changes and determine the needs of the communities, and modify such projects accordingly. The institutional barriers, on the other hand, result from deficient or absence of experienced related to such institutions, especially in the developing countries. Overcoming the Barriers There is the need for greater community involvement for the acceptance of the development initiative as a part of the community. The lack of the involvement on the community in the decision-making processes cause a sense of disengagement among the members of the community and that hinders innovativeness, contributions and community support. There is also the need for the presence of stronger policies for the elimination of such barriers as income disparity. Population growth also acts as a barrier. It is also essential to introduce programs for the creation of awareness and the capacity-building processes for sustainable development initiatives among the members of the public. Such educative programs result in behavior changes that shift towards the achievement of the sustainability of the development initiatives. There are the efforts involved in the increase of the scientific ability of the experts and participants in such a development initiative that ensure informed innovations and development during and after the development initiatives. Such ensure safety, the security of the community, and the reliability of the development initiative. Such initiatives create a solution basis for the government and other relevant parties to ensure the environmental safety of the projects. The NGO and Government relationships are essential for the establishment of sustainable and beneficial relationships for the sake of all. The formulation and implementation of policies which work towards the enhancement of the accountability of the processes followed through the making of decisions. Partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential in the development of the actors. Conclusion The unstainable development experiences various barriers with regard to the introduction, information dissemination, and implementation processes. Some development initiatives require continuous maintenance with accompanying activities of the development. It is only through sustainable development that a community achieves quality and wholesome development. The most common barriers include social barriers, economic barriers, and cultural barriers. They are based on the pillars of sustainable development that include social, environmental, and economic development. References Roo14: , (Siew, 2014), Dee16: , (Mohan & Kaushik, 2016), Pet92: , (Daniels, 1992), Wil06: , (Schwab & Reid, 2006), Raf16: , (Elmansy, 2016), Appendix 1 Chart to shoe the nature of the Project Appendix 2 1) Do you think that the current development program takes the climatic, cultural, and economic factors into consideration? a. If yes, how so? 2) How old is the development project? 3) How is the waste management as shown during the course of the development? 4) What is your opinion about the sustainability of the development programs? 5) Describe the relevance and popularity of the development initiative in your own words. 6) How involved is the community in the project? 7) How fast is the project initiative? 8) Do you feel like it addresses the issues of the regular citizen? a. Why? b. Why not? 9) Can you identify cases of the alienation of some groups of the community? 10) On a percentage scale, how often do you get such projects? 11) Does the development strategy have the support of the surrounding community? 12) In your own words, describe the relevance of the development initiative in this context. 13) Does the project have the support of the government? 14) What is the impact of the support of the lack of governmental support on the project? 15) Are you aware of the environmental obligations of such a project? a. If so, so, does this development initiative adhere to it? Read More