Title: Sustainable development at the turn of the century: perceptions and outlook

Authors: Klaus M. Leisinger

Addresses: Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, P.O.Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland

Abstract: Despite a substantial increase in world population, more people live longer and fuller lives today than ever before in human history. The developing world has achieved gains in the last 30 years that took the industrial world a century. Despite remarkable improvements in all the important dimensions of development, there are still significant deficits to be deplored. Although there is no universally applicable blueprint for sustainable development for all nations and under all circumstances, past experience shows that, with good governance in a free society, improvements in social organisation, appropriate economic signals and the facilitation of technological progress, sustainable development will become a reality.

Keywords: conditionality; empirical performance; good governance; subsidiarity; sustainable development concept and policy; sustainable modernisation ideals; technological progress; voluntary simplicity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.1998.004201

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 1998 Vol.1 No.1, pp.73 - 98

Published online: 10 May 2004 *

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