Few dispute that development processes should be both economically and environmentally sustainable. Many also call for development to be socially sustainable, yet the contours, distinctiveness, and implications of this concept remain largely unspecified, certainly as it pertains to understanding and engaging with development processes. Development is socially sustainable, we argue, when all people feel part of the development process and believe that they and their descendants will benefit from it. Social sustainability's analytical distinctiveness inheres in its status as a 'club' (as opposed to a private or public) good, i.e. one wherein development outcomes are sought through the actions of groups whose membership is excludable but non-rival, yet whose identity, purpose, and status may shift over time. Ensuring that social groups nonetheless retain an enduring sense of cohesion, inclusion, and resilience - and accord legitimacy to development's inherently disruptive change processes - is crucial. Initiatives consistent with this approach are profiled.

Proposes a definition of social sustainability grounded in the literature but aligned with global development priorities and World Bank institutional objectives, which includes (1) when all people feel part of the development process and believe they and their descendants will benefit from it; and (2) when communities and societies prove willing and able to work together to overcome challenges, deliver public goods, and allocate scarce resources in ways perceived as legitimate and fair by all so all people may thrive over time. This definition highlights four critical components of social sustainability: social cohesion, inclusion, resilience, and "process legitimacy." A cohesive society has high levels of trust, enabling it to work together to overcome challenges. An inclusive society allows all people to thrive. A resilient society can withstand shocks without significant losses to the well-being of current and future generations. Process legitimacy includes designing and implementing policies and programs that ensure fairness and credibility to all key stakeholders.

No AccessApr 2023Closing the Implementation GapAuthors/Editors: Patrick Barron, Louise Cord, José Cuesta, Sabina A. Espinoza, Greg Larson, and Michael WoolcockPatrick BarronSearch for more papers by this author, Louise CordSearch for more papers by this author, José CuestaSearch for more papers by this author, Sabina A. EspinozaSearch for more papers by this author, Greg LarsonSearch for more papers by this author, and Michael WoolcockSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1946-9_ch3AboutView ChaptersFull TextPDF (0.7 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract: Outlines the common operational challenges that factor into programming for social sustainability, providing an overview of interventions from World Bank experience, as well as that of other development organizations, that have proven effective at fostering cohesion, inclusion, and resilience. While not comprehensive, the country examples highlight some of the most effective and innovative efforts to date, with the understanding and expectation that new insights will emerge in the years to come. Three high-level, overarching priorities for supporting process legitimacy require attention in order to ensure that efforts to promote social sustainability work within the context of existing norms and values and prove fair, credible, and acceptable by all members and groups in a society: (1) understand the policy arena; (2) work with all key stakeholders; and (3) engage for the long haul. Social norms can shape people’s motivations and incentives to engage in change, and thus interventions require sensitivity to the social and normative context of their implementation. ReferencesAcemoglu, D, A Cheema, A Khwaja, and J Robinson. 2020. “Trust in State and Nonstate Actors: Evidence from Dispute Resolution in Pakistan.” Journal of Political Economy 128 (8): 3090–147. 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