Varieties of sustainability: The local expression of a global norm. Presented by Jörg Balsiger at the "Perth II: Global Change and the World's Mountains" conference in Perth, Scotland in September 2010.

1. Varieties of Sustainability:
The local expression of a global norm
Jörg Balsiger
ETH Zurich and University of Geneva

2. ‘Domesticating’ a ‘globalized’ norm
● (In IR), norms are shared beliefs and expectations about what
constitutes appropriate behavior in a given situation.
● (In IR), norms emerge from international cooperation, are
anchored in ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ legal instruments, and transposed
domestically.
● (In IR), theoretical and empirical interest involves whether
(compliance) and how (implementation) a norm is applied;
rarely a focus on how it is understood.
● The global(ization of the) norm of ‘sustainable development’ - a
familiar story of clarity (e.g. guidelines) and ambiguity (e.g.
substitutability)
● What can we learn about SD from mountain regions?
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

3. What sustainable development?
● Project context: CCES-Mountland (ETH Domain)
● Method: Surveys in six ‘case environments’ for ranking SD
indicators
Economy Environment Society
Agricultural GDP per capita Forest area Forest area for protection of
humans/infrastructure
Use of forest growing stock Agricultural area Visitors in recreational forests
Rural road density Forest growing stock Cultural objects
Economic value of water Forest growing stock Farm and forestry employment
Public agriculture budget Ecological compensation area Integrated water management
Farm and forestry income Protected areas Participatory landscape
planning initiatives
Firm closures in forestry and Water contamination Associational life
agriculture
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

4. Cases
Bullet (Agroforestry)
Parc Jura Vaudois
(Regional Park
development)
Integralmelioration Visp-Baltschieder-
Raron & Brigerbad-Visp-Lalden
(Integrated land reform)
3. Rhone Correction, Priority
Measure Visp (Integrated Water Landschaftsentwicklungs-
Resource Management) konzept Brig-Salgesch (Integrated
landscape development)
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

5. Hypotheses
Case characteristics
● SD dimensions most relevant to the case environment are rated
highest
● The narrower the case environment’s thematic focus, the less
balanced the SD understanding
Political sector
● Environmental indicators will be rated highest by NGOs; economic
indicators by the private sector; and social indicators by government
● Government will rate SD dimensions most equally
Level
● Environmental indicators will be rated highest by national-level actors;
economic indicators by municipal/regional actors
● Who will rate SD dimensions most equally?
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

6. Findings – Case characteristics
6
5
Bullet (agroforestry)
4 Parc JV (park development) Environmental, economic,
PM Visp (IWRM)
3
IM VBR (land reform) and social indicators most 
2
IM BLV (land reform)
LEK BS (landscape highly rated in park project
1
planning)
0
Econ Env Soc
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Bullet (agroforestry)
SD dimensions most Parc JV (park development)
 and least equally PM Visp (IWRM)
rated in land reform IM VBR (land reform)
IM BLV (land reform)
LEK BS (landscape planning)
SD Balance
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

7. Findings – Political sector
6 NGOs rate environmental
5 indicators highest 
4
3
Government
Private sector
Private sector rates ()
2
NGOs economic indicators highest
1
Government rates social

0
Econ Env Soc indicators highest
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Government
Government rates SD

Dimensions most equally Private sector
NGOs
SD Balance
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

8. Findings - Level
Environmental indicators
6
rated highest by 
5
4 Municipal (inter)national level actors
Regional
3 Cantonal
2
National
International
Economic indicators rated
1 highest by municipal & 
0 regional actors
Econ Env Soc
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
SD dimensions rated more Municipal
equally by municipal than by Regional
national actors Cantonal
(parallel survey with federal National
agents shows lower balance than International
cantonal actors) SD Balance
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010

9. Conclusions
● Significant diversity in local understanding / rating of
sustainable development, both in terms of individual
indicators and balance among SD dimensions.
● Preliminary results suggest that political sector is a more
significant driver of variation in SD understanding than
case characteristics or level of government.
● Balanced rating of SD dimensions does not scale up
linearly, but the municipal actors rate them more equally
than their national counterparts.
● Implications: ‘Principled domestication’ of a global norm
through diversity in local expression ?
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010