SOCIOLOGY 588/688
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Spring 2009
SAB 209
Prof. Barbara Dudley Prof: Mary King
Office: 287-V Cramer Hall Office: 241-N Cramer Hall
Phone: 503-977-1606 Phone: 503-725-3940
email: dudleyb@pdx.edu email: kingm@pdx.edu
The concept of social sustainability is currently the least developed leg of the "triple bottom line" of environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability. Work on the social aspect of sustainability is as yet so undeveloped that we do not have an established definition of the concept. We will begin this class with the insights gained from discussions in previous PSU graduate classes on social sustainability, that:
Social sustainability refers to both (1) the processes that generate social health and well-being now and in the future and (2) those social institutions that facilitate environmental and economic sustainability now and for the future.
We hypothesize that social health and well-being require a society that is adaptable, resilient, equitable and democratic, while fostering the full development of each individual’s capabilities and functions, as theorized by Amartya Sen.
Possible measures of social sustainability include Robert Prescott-Allen’s (2001) proposed index of human wellbeing.
This class is conceived as an active enterprise, in which we will work together to clarify and develop our joint understanding of the concept of social sustainability by surveying possible definitions and measures of social sustainability; investigating the relationship between social sustainability and other aspects of sustainability; and exploring attempts to reach the goals identified, locally, nationally and internationally.
Consequently it is critical that everyone attends class consistently, and come prepared to discuss the readings and issues, as scheduled.
Class Format: presentation/discussion
30% on short, oral presentations of weekly readings and participation;
20% on weekly reading notes, which should be about 2 pages each week, engaging with the material rather than reporting on it;
20% on attendance, because it is crucial to the success of the class, and
30% on a research paper, for which guidelines will be available.
Books:
Polese, Mario and Richard Stren. 2000. The Social Sustainability of Cities: Diversity and the Management of Change. Toronto: University of Toronto Press
Bello, Walden. 2004. Deglobalization: Ideas for a New World Economy. New York: Zed Books
Sen, Amartya. 1999. Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books
we will read three chapters from this book. you may purchase the book or read it on reserve
Additional Reading material:
A reading packet, to be made available at Smart Copy, at 1915 S.W. 6th, contains all required reading not available electronically or for sale at the PSU Bookstore. In addition, all material not available electronically is available on reserve at the Library. Location of each item is identified in the syllabus.
March 31 Course organization and requirements. What elements should be included in defining social sustainability? How should it be measured? Concepts in social sustainability. The three bottom lines.
April 2 Janis B. Alcorn and Victor M. Toledo Resilient Resource Management in Mexico’s Forest Ecosystems: The Contribution of Property Rights; and James Acheson, James Wilson, and Robert Steneck, Managing Chaotic Fisheries, In: Berkes F. & Folke C. (eds.) (1998) Linking Social and Ecological Systems: Management Practices and Social Mechanisms for Building Resilience. Cambridge University Press. [reading pkt, reserve]
April 7 Jonathan M Harris and Neva Goodwin. 2001. Volume Introduction pp. xxvii-xxxvii A Survey of Sustainable Development. Harris and Goodwin (eds.). Washington, Covelo, London: Island Press [Reading pkt, reserve].
Neva Goodwin 2003 “Five Kinds of Capital: Useful Concepts for Sustainable Development” Global Development and Environment Institute Working Paper http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/publications/working_papers/03-07sustainabledevelopment.PDF
Amartya Sen. 1999. Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books. Chapters 1, 2 & 4. [purchase, reserve]
April 9 Robert Prescott-Allen. 2001. Chapter 1 “The Quest for Wellbeing and Sustainability” and Chapter 2 “Human Wellbeing” in The Well-being of Nations: A Country-by-Country Index of Quality of Life and the Environment. Washington: Island Press. [packet, reserve]
Recommended for those interested in further reading
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr. Operationalising Amartya Sen’s ideas on capabilities,
development, freedom and human rights – the shifting policy focus of the human development approach. http://hdr.undp.org/docs/training/oxford/readings/fukuda-parr_HDA.pdf
Week 3 The Political Economy of Social Reproduction
April 14 Much in the same way that the natural environment has become a key dimension in planning for sustainable societies and economies, the sources of investment for social reproduction must be accounted for and appropriately valued in the interest of sustainable societies. Internalizing externalities: the value of unpaid work. The role of labor unions. Evaluating the impact of minimum wage regulations.
The Family and Unpaid Work
Nancy Folbre. 1994. Introduction, Chapter 5 and Part of Conclusion from Who Pays for the Kids? Gender and the Structures of Constraint. New York: Routledge. [reading packet, reserve]
April 16 Sue Himmelweit 1999. "Domestic Labour" in Janice Peterson and Margaret Lewis (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Feminist Economics. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp 126-135. [reading pkt, reserve]
Duncan Ironmonger.1996 “Counting Outputs, Capital Inputs and Caring Labor: Estimating Gross Household Product” Feminist Economics 2 (3): 37-64. [e-journal]
Week 4 Social Reproduction: Consumption and Growth
April 21 Schor, Juliet “The Politics of Consumption”
[http://www.bostonreview.net/BR24.3/schor.html]
Michael F. Maniates, “ Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World?” Global Environmental Politics 1:3, August 2001. pp 31-52 [e-journal]
“Profit and The Public Good” from The Economist January 20th 2005: http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_PVVVNVJ.
(e-journal)
April 23 Documentary: The Take
Vanessa Tait. 2005. Ch 1 “Unionizing Movements” pp.25-53; Ch 5 “Organizing Where We Live and Work” pp.129-159, from Poor Workers’ Unions: Rebuilding Labor from Below. Cambridge Mass., South End Press [packet, reserve]
April 28 Fantasia and Voss, Ch1 “Why labor matters” and Ch 2 “An Exceptionally Hostile Terrain” in Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement
[packet, reserve]
Searching for Work That Pays: 2007 Northwest Job Gap Study http://www.nwfco.org/job_gap.htm Click on the Oregon Fact Sheet
April 30 Corporate Codes of Conduct
Portland Sweatshop Ordinance, http://www.sweatfree.org/portland
Nike Code of Conduct: http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/NikeChronology.htm, http://www.calbaptist.edu/dskubik/young.htm, http://www.nikebiz.com/nikeresponsibility/#workers-factories/audit_tools, http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2008/08/01_statement.html;
Sweden's H&M: http://www.hm.com/no/corporateresponsibility__responsability.nhtml
http://www.hm.com/no/corporateresponsibility/supplychainworkingconditions/supplychainmonitoring/ourcodeofconduct__monotoringarticle1.nhtml
Naila Khabeer. 2004. “Globalization, Labor Standards and Women’s Rights: Dilemmas of Collective (In)Action in an Interdependent World. Feminist Economics Vol. 10 (1) 3-35. (e-journal)
Social sustainability at the local level. A comparative examination of some cities: housing, transportation, tax policy.
May 5 Polese and Stren “The Social Sustainability of Cities” Chapters 1(Intro); Chapter 2 (Montreal); Chapter 4 (Miami); Chapter 5 (Baltimore);
Johnson, Steve. 2004. “Reality and Myth of Portland’s Engaged Citizenry and Process-Oriented Governance” Ch 5 pp. 102-117 in The Portland Edge Connie Ozawa (ed.), Island Press. [Packet, reserve]
May 7 Dujon, Veronica. 2009. “In the Absence of Affluence: The Struggle for Social Sustainability in the Third World” in Jesse Dillard, Veronica Dujon and Mary C. King (eds.) Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability. New York: Routledge.
Ch. 5 and 6, from Hugh Schwarz. 2006. Urban Renewal, Municipal Revitalization, The Case of Curitiba, Brazil. [packet]
Polese and Stren Chapter 10 (Nairobi); and Chapter 12 (Conclusion)
May 12 Lindhert Peter H. 2004. Growing Public: Social Spending and Economic Growth Since the Eighteenth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapters 1 & 2. [reading pkt., reserve]
Smeeding, T.M. 2006. “Government Programs and Social Outcomes: Comparison of the United States with Other Rich Nations.” In A.J. Auerbach, D. Card, and J.M. Quigley (eds.), Poverty, the Distribution of Income, and Public Policy. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, pp. 149-218. [reading pkt.]
May 14 Esping Andersen et al. 2002. Ch 1 “Towards the Good Society, Once Again? “ Ch 2 “A Child–Centred Social Investment Strategy” Ch 3 “A New Gender Contract” in Why We Need a New Welfare State, Oxford University Press. [reading pkt]
Week 8 A View from the Global Economy
May 19 Walden Bello, 2004, Foreword: The Crisis of the Globalist Project; Ch 1 Intro: The Multiple Crisis of Global Capitalism; Ch 2: Marginalizing the South in the International System
May 21 Bello, Ch 3: Sidestepping Democracy at the Multilateral Agencies; Ch 4: The Crisis of Legitimacy; Ch 5: The Vicissitudes of Reform
Week 9 A Sustainable Future?
May 26 C. S. Holling et al Ch. 15 Discoveries for Sustainable Futures pp.395-417. In: Gundersen Lance H. and Holling C.S. (eds) (2002) Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Cycles. Island Press [physical reserve and E-Reserve].
Bello, Ch 6 Proposals for Governance Reform: A Critical Analysis; Ch 7 The Alternative.
May 28 Leite, Jose Correa, The World Social Forum, Strategies of Resistance, (2005) Chapter 3, "The World Social Forum, A Political Invention." (E-Reserve)
Wallerstein, Immanuel, "New Revolts Against the System," in A Movement of Movements: Is Another World Possible? Tom Mertes (ed) (2004) (E-Reserve)
Week 10 Wrap-up. Unanswered questions.
June 2 Ch.4 "Ten Principles of Sustainable Development" in Cavanaugh, John and Mander, Jerry, ed. Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible. (2004) (E-Reserve)
The State of the Commons (Report)
http://onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1548
Pages 359 – 365, in chapter 13, “Experiments in Equitable Cooperation,” in Robin Hahnel . 2005. Economic Justice and Democracy: From Competition to Cooperation. Routledge. (will be sent by e-mail)
June 4 Last Class: Summary Day
How do we define social sustainability? Course Evaluation Discussion
Final Papers are Due June 4th in class!