For citation:
Kadomtseva, M. Ye. (2023). The Concept of Sustainable Development: The Evolution of Theoretical Approaches and Modern Vision. AlterEconomics, 20(1), 166–188. https://doi.org/10.31063/AlterEconomics/2023.20-1.9
Abstract:
Since the end of the 19th century, the concept of sustainable development has evolved from its original focus on the environmental dimension of economic growth to its current understanding summarized in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The new challenges of our time, such as the pandemic, global climate change, increased social inequality, and geopolitical tensions, have necessitated a search for solutions that go beyond inertial economic doctrines. This article aims to present a holistic view of the transformation in scientific approaches to the problems of sustainable economic, social, and environmental development at different stages. It also aims to substantiate the main provisions of the concept of sustainable development in the context of current global trends. The article, therefore, contains a review of Russian and international literature on sustainable development showing the key research trends in this field. Applying a combination of historical-statistical and theoretical analysis methods, the study describes the circumstances which led to a change in the views on the “economy-nature-society” triad. As a result, insights are offered into the most likely directions for further transformations of the concept of sustainable development and associated global trends.
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