Karoline Van den Brande

Governance for Sustainable Development at the Inter-subnational Level: The Case of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD)

Subnational entities increasingly exert agency in multilateral decision making. Since they are often not recognized as actors in multilateral bodies, they use several mechanisms to gain representation. An example of an extra-state mechanism is the participation in inter-subnational networks. This article is about the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD), a network that focuses on sustainable development and that has a unique global scope, addressing the UN institutions above all. A first part of our analysis shows that, although it is a relatively young initiative, nrg4SD has evolved into an institution with a permanent character, but subsequently went through a period of stagnation and criticism. It also demonstrates that, besides offering subnational entities an extra-state route to multilateral decision making, it entails an important internal dimension as well, through the promotion of policy learning and bilateral co-operation. The second part of the article offers a comparative analysis of three of the networks members (Flanders, the Basque Country and North Rhine-Westphalia), which shows that they have diverging views on nrg4SD and its functioning and use their participation in very different ways and with different results.

Sustainable Development and Transnational Communication: Assessing the International Influence on Subnational Policies

Abstract Sustainable development needs to be tackled at different levels of governance. An important role is put aside for subnational entities (such as provinces, states or regions), because of their often large implementation responsibilities. Sustainable development is to a large extent decided in multilateral organizations, such as the UN, the OECD or the EU. Yet unlike nation-states, subnational governments are not formally bound by international commitments. This article uses the concept of transnational communication as a perspective to examine the extent to which international policy and decision-making resonates at the subnational level. Building on the tradition of policy convergence studies, theoretical and methodological refinements are made to explore how the concept can be applied to sustainable development and to subnational governments. Subsequently, the results are presented of a comparative analysis investigating how international initiatives have triggered and shaped sustainable development policies in Quebec (Canada), North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) and Flanders (Belgium). The findings suggest that international events play a key role in triggering sustainable development policies at the subnational level, but that their impact on policy content is not uniform. It is also stated that political will is needed for sustainable development initiatives to gain ground and that the presence of a strong identity determines whether or not subnational governments are receptive to international influences.

Intergovernmental Co-operation for International Decision making in Federal States: The Case of Sustainable Development in Belgium

In federal states, intergovernmental co-operation between the federal government and the subnational governments can be instigated by international decision making. That is particularly interesting in the case of sustainable development, which is characterized as an ‘outside-in’ policy or a policy that finds its way to the domestic policy agenda because of international pressures. The article analyses intergovernmental co-operation for international decision making on sustainable development and studies the federal state of Belgium. It consists of a framework that discusses the Belgian institutional context, and an empirical part that analyses in detail Belgian intergovernmental co-operation practices. Three international decision-making settings are examined—the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the OECD Annual Meeting of Sustainable Development Experts and the EU discussions on its Sustainable Development Strategy. The article argues that there is no lack of intergovernmental co-operation for in...In federal states, intergovernmental co-operation between the federal government and the subnational governments can be instigated by international decision making. That is particularly interesting in the case of sustainable development, which is characterized as an ‘outside-in’ policy or a policy that finds its way to the domestic policy agenda because of international pressures. The article analyses intergovernmental co-operation for international decision making on sustainable development and studies the federal state of Belgium. It consists of a framework that discusses the Belgian institutional context, and an empirical part that analyses in detail Belgian intergovernmental co-operation practices. Three international decision-making settings are examined—the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the OECD Annual Meeting of Sustainable Development Experts and the EU discussions on its Sustainable Development Strategy. The article argues that there is no lack of intergovernmental co-operation for international decision making on sustainable development in Belgium. Yet, the co-operation practices are informal and ad hoc and Belgium lacks a formal framework.

The State of Sustainable Development: Perspectives from the Subnational Level

The chapters in this volume have given an account of a multitude of subnational activities for sustainable development. The issue has clearly found its way on to the subnational policy agenda, and subnational governments have taken many initiatives to institutionalize it. In some cases, new approaches were initiated only recently, such as in the Basque Country, Flanders and Wallonia. The book also shows that subnational governments are pushed to ‘go international’ for sustainable development, trying to influence regional and global decision-making and trying to gain international visibility for their own efforts. However, it is also clear that sustainable development’s general appeal is lower now than it was at the time of the Rio Summit or the Johannesburg Summit. In some cases, the enthusiasm has faded and the meta-concept of sustainable development has difficulties in staying on the political agenda, where it is replaced by increased attention on more specific policy issues (such as climate change). The situation is thus ambiguous, and future developments will point out whether sustainable development remains an attractive concept to guide policy-making.

The European Union in the Commission on Sustainable Development

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) is a functional Commission of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the main UN body dealing with sustainable development issues. It was established in 1993 and gathers yearly to review the progress in the implementation of Agenda 21. The negotiations in the CSD result in UN soft law (Andresen, 2007, p. 326) such as policy recommendations or decisions that are agreed upon by the UN member states, but cannot be enforced and sanctioned afterwards.