Public Goods, Sustainable Development and the Contribution of Business
This book provides an expansive review of the public goods theme and highlights the inherent linkage between sustainable development and corporate responsibility for improving the current and future welfare of communities both at home and abroad. The main proposition here is that sustainable development is focused on preserving and maintaining public goods. Consequently, whoever uses public goods is liable for their preservation, their maintenance, and, where they are underdeveloped, for their expansion. Successful delivery, both now and in the future, depends on a positive relationship of the public sector with the private sector. This book will serve to stimulate discussions of scholars and policy makers in the field of sustainable development with business leaders, and will close the gap between the public and the private sectors by building a common understanding and common methodologies for implementing and measuring sustainable development in the macro- and the micro-spheres.
Roland Bardy of BardyConsult in Mannheim, Germany, is a former executive with BASF. He took up teaching after retiring from business in 1999.
Arthur Rubens is Professor Emeritus at Florida Gulf Coast University. He presently teaches at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France.
Raymond Saner is Titular Professor at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He also teaches at Leuphana, Lüneburg, and Sciences Po, Paris and consults at OECD and the United Nations.
Lichia Yiu co-founded the Centre for Socio-Economic Development in Geneva in 1993, an independent research and development NGO. She teaches organizational development, leadership, and stakeholder management.
“The book admirably serves the purpose of framing and shaping the public and commercial discourse on their use of public goods. It provides a uniquely accessible understanding of how current use and costing needs to change to strike the best approach to balancing economic vitality today while protecting future generations and preserving our planet’s resources for our descendants.”
Jerome Katz
Brockhaus Chair of Entrepreneurship, Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University
“The pandemic that washed over the globe in 2020 demonstrated that the provision of public goods is still central to civilized societies. Businesses have a share in this, and their contribution is essential to achieving sustainable development. This book provides a grounded and topical approach to understanding how business can contribute to public goods and help achieve the vision for 2030.”
Jerry Davis
Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor of Management, Professor of Sociology, Michigan Ross School of Business
“A very timely and unique perspective on how sustainability matters in the use of public goods by consumers and producers. I particularly appreciated the message that businesses have a social responsibility in the use (and abuse) of public goods.”
Jagdish N. Sheth
Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business, Goizueta Business School, Emory University
“At last! A book that makes business a critical element of the conversation about sustainable development in a multi-institutional environment.”
R. Edward Freeman
Professor, The Darden School, University of Virginia
“The themes of the book are all key contributors to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is timely and provides a holistic view on the link between public goods, sustainable development and the crucial contribution of business, as well as providing clear guidance on a way forward in addressing global challenges.”
Victor van Vuuren
Director, Enterprises Department, International Labour Organisation
“There is an enormous gap between the macro-ambition of creating public goods and the micro-translation of this ambition in relevant business strategies. This book clearly serves the purpose of that translation, not in the least by showing how the SDG agenda of the United Nations creates a platform for this endeavor. We need to step up the pace.”
Rob van Tulder
Professor of International Business-Society Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
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