The Role of Public Policy in Managing and Ensuring the Sustainability of Public and Private Organizations

Dear Colleagues,

During the last three decades, sustainability issues have gained significant attention in the academic and institutional spheres, with many countries giving these issues a prominent place on their political agenda (Bebbington and Gray, 2001). Indeed, achieving tangible results in this regard requires a comprehensive approach integrating the principle of sustainability into policymaking at all levels of government, from the international to the local level (e.g., De Matteis and Borgonovi, 2021; Siboni and Sangiorgi, 2013; Tracey and Anne, 2008). The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015) emphasizes this role of local and national governments in achieving sustainable development (León-Silva et al., 2022), demanding a collective effort in improving public policies driven towards enabling sustainable development (Dovers, 2005).

From a public policy standpoint, the spectrum of policy measures that promote sustainability in a broader sense is extensive, ranging from directed public investments for sustainable practices (renewable energy, energy efficiency, land and water conservation, etc.) to the stimulation of private investment and public–private collaboration in technological advancement and innovation (Zhang et al., 2016). Nonetheless, although sustainability is of concern to both the public and private sectors, public organizations have a more direct economic, social, and political stake in the matter (Alkadry et al., 2019), being evaluated by their performance in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions (Figueira et al., 2018) and making sustainability principles and practices to be embedded into their operations and activities (Byrch et al., 2007).

In addition, based on the public sector’s image as a benchmark for sustainability practices, it must establish policies and strategies that restrict the activities of the entities it supervises and regulates (Figueira et al., 2018). It is crucial for this sector to assess its current sustainability status to pinpoint areas for improvement and identify successful policies and practices that can be adopted by other public or private organizations. In brief, achieving a sustainable future requires various public policy initiatives and innovative practices derived from theory-driven research to promote government policies to either facilitate or impede the achievement of sustainable development.

In this Special Issue of Sustainability, we encourage academics and researchers to submit novel papers covering all aspects of the connections between public policies and sustainability within organisations of all forms, contributing to the debate on government policy for sustainability. Submissions that are interdisciplinary, as well as those that are grounded in theory and/or empirical evidence, are highly encouraged. Collecting diverse perspectives from a public policy standpoint, this issue will have far-reaching implications for development and could improve practices and policymaking aimed at tackling the challenges of sustainable development. Therefore, it is not only valuable to researchers, but also to society, organizations, institutions, and governments.

Tentative list of topics:

Without seeking to place a limit on potential areas of research, we encourage authors to emphasize the following topics:

• The relationship between corporate sustainability reporting and public policy.
• The relationship between government policies and public or private sector organizations’ sustainability.
• Measuring the impact of sustainability policy and practices on organizational issues.
• Factors associated with the disclosure of sustainability information in public administrations.
• Factors that might lead an organisation to become more likely to adopt sustainable practices.
• Policies’ impacts on an organization’s behaviour in terms of sustainability disclosure practices or sustainable practice adoption.
• The advantages, obstacles, and theoretical implications of public policies in promoting the attainment of sustainable development goals.
• How organizations embed sustainability into their systems and contribute to making societies more sustainable.
• Sustainability policy harmonization across levels of government.
• Enabling the conditions and trade-offs of policy decisions related to investments in sustainable development.
• The role of communities and cities in sustainability policy.
• Engagement in sustainable procurement practices of public administration.
• The implementation of green IT practices or standards to support institutions’ sustainable goals.
• How organizations integrate sustainability into the strategic planning and control process.
• Policy options that governments can use to address corporate sustainability.
• The implementation of sustainability policies and practices in public administration.
• The conceptualization and operationalization of sustainable development in public administration (i.e., ecological sustainability, technological sustainability, economic sustainability, political sustainability, and sociocultural sustainability).
• The adoption of environmental and sustainability principles, approaches, and practices by public and private organizations.
• Long- and short-term consequences of government sustainability policies.

References:

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Alkadry, M. G., Trammell, E., & Dimand, A. M. (2019). The power of public procurement: social equity and sustainability as externalities and as deliberate policy tools. International Journal of Procurement Management, 12(3), 336-362.

Asim, S., Li, C., Makhdoom, H. U. R., & Zafar, Z. (2019). Entrepreneurial technology opportunism and its impact on business sustainability with the moderation of government regulations. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 7(3), 161-185. doi:10.15678/EBER.2019.070309.

Aslam, R., Rehman, S., & Nasir, A. (2023). Investigating the relationship between government support and SMEs’ sustainability through financial and green lenses. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, doi:10.1108/JBIM-05-2022-0191.

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Prof. Dr. Manuel Pedro Rodriguez Bolivar
Dr. Fabiana Roberto
Guest Editors

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• government
• government policy
• public policies
• sustainability
• environment
• sustainable development