2022

Jump to: 2021, 2020

14 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Statehood: Reflections on Critical (Pre-)Conditions, Requirements and Design Options

by Harald Heinrichs

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9461; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159461 - 02 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1327

Thirty years after the seminal UN conference on environment and development, where the global agenda for sustainable development was agreed upon by the international community, uncountable initiatives in public policy, business and civil society have been activated. Despite all efforts, pressure on life-supporting [...] Read more.

Thirty years after the seminal UN conference on environment and development, where the global agenda for sustainable development was agreed upon by the international community, uncountable initiatives in public policy, business and civil society have been activated. Despite all efforts, pressure on life-supporting Earth systems remain on an ecologically, socially and economically unsustainable pathway. Global collective action for sustainable development has so far been insufficient regarding the scientifically well-diagnosed need for substantial transformation. Given that the world remains a world of nation states, notwithstanding processes of globalization and transnationalization, internationalization and subnationalization, the quest for sustainable statehood is of utmost importance. Based on the expectations of nation states expressed in the UN Transformation Agenda 2030, it is argued that underlying and cross-cutting structures, procedures and instruments of statehood, which precede decision-making processes and policy-making in specific fields of sustainable development, such as climate change or biodiversity, are of key relevance. In this regard critical requirements and (pre-)conditions for sustainable statehood are discussed and design options for sustainable statehood in the Anthropocene are proposed. Full article

18 pages, 395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Lightly Robust Max-Ordering Solution Concept for Uncertain Multiobjective Optimization Problems: An Ambulance Location Problem with Unavailability

by Pornpimon Boriwan, Thanathorn Phoka and Narin Petrot

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7511; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127511 - 20 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1777

Abstract

This study introduces a robust concept for considering uncertain multiobjective optimization problems, called the lightly robust max-ordering solution. This introduced solution concept offers the best option for solving issues based on the maximum cost in the worst-case scenario. Introducing a tolerable relaxation parameter [...] Read more.

This study introduces a robust concept for considering uncertain multiobjective optimization problems, called the lightly robust max-ordering solution. This introduced solution concept offers the best option for solving issues based on the maximum cost in the worst-case scenario. Introducing a tolerable relaxation parameter can be used to increase the robustness of the solution but, at the same time, the desirable property of such a solution with respect to the nominal scenario might be decreased. Subsequently, the two measurements, which are the ‘gain in robustness’ and the ‘price to be paid for robustness’, are considered. These measurements are needed to support a decision maker to find more desirable lightly robust max-ordering solutions with a beneficial trade-off between the robustness of solutions and the quality of solutions in an undisturbed situation. Moreover, an algorithm for finding the proposed solution is presented and discussed. An instance of the benefits of the suggested solution concept is used on an example of ambulance location planning if ambulances may be unavailable. Full article

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18 pages, 3620 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Progress beyond GDP: A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of GDP and Twelve Alternative Indicators

by Bing Wang and Tianchi Chen

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6430; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116430 - 24 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2702

Abstract

What social progress is and how to measure it are seemingly plain but essentially intri-cate questions that have not been clarified to date, which has led to various social problems and development failures. Designed after the Great Depression in the 1930s, Gross Domestic [...] Read more.

What social progress is and how to measure it are seemingly plain but essentially intri-cate questions that have not been clarified to date, which has led to various social problems and development failures. Designed after the Great Depression in the 1930s, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been, on the one hand, regarded as the greatest invention of the 20th century and is widely accepted as the primary indicator for social progress, but on the other hand, it has been criticized as knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing. The Beyond GDP Movement that has been active since the 2010s has inspired global interest in designing indicators to replace or supplement GDP, but none of them stands out as GDP’s successor. We take 12 influential indicators that consider beyond GDP and carry out a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to investigate their correlations. The results indicate that GDP per capita (GDPP) can explain 65.61% of the information in the first principal component (PC) and account for 51.10% of the information related to the total 13 indicators, indicating its major role in social progress. Most indicators have strong correlations with GDPP, not beyond, and only the Ecological Footprint per capita (EFP) and Happy Planet Index (HPI) that have negative and weak correlations with GDPP, respectively, can provide new perspectives and values beyond GDP. Social progress is based upon various public values, and the indicators are the measurements of these values. Although GDP and economic values play major roles during social development, other indicators and their potential public values cannot be ignored. Prioritizing these public values and monitoring their indicators are essential to achieving sustainable and comprehensive social progress. Full article

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2021

Jump to: 2022, 2020

23 pages, 508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evidence-Based Public Policy Decision-Making in Smart Cities: Does Extant Theory Support Achievement of City Sustainability Objectives?

by David Mills, Steven Pudney, Primož Pevcin and Jaroslav Dvorak

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010003 - 21 Dec 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 10276

Abstract

Evidence-based decision making is promoted as offering efficiency and effectiveness; however, its uptake has faced barriers such as underdeveloped supporting culture, limited access to evidence, and evidence that is not fully relevant. Smart city conceptualizations offer economic and environmental sustainability and better quality [...] Read more.

Evidence-based decision making is promoted as offering efficiency and effectiveness; however, its uptake has faced barriers such as underdeveloped supporting culture, limited access to evidence, and evidence that is not fully relevant. Smart city conceptualizations offer economic and environmental sustainability and better quality of life through evidence-based policy decision-making. We wondered whether smart city theory and practice has advanced the knowledge of evidence-based decision-making. We searched major databases for literature containing a mention of smart cities, decision-making, and policy. We identified relevant literature from a range of disciplines and supplemented these by following backwards and forwards citations. Evidence-based decision-making was found mostly in literature regarding the theory and practice of smart city operations, and, to lesser extents, the articles regarding policy decisions and tactical decisions. Better decision-making which supported the achievement of city sustainability objectives was reported in some articles; however, we found significant obstacles to the further achievement of city objectives in the areas of underachievement in collaborative decision-making, privileging of big data evidence, and artificial intelligence agents as decision-makers. We assembled a definition of smart city decision-making and developed an agenda of research which will support city governments, theorists, and practitioners in better achieving sustainability through improved decision-making. Full article

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3 pages, 152 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Sustainable Public Administration

by Harald Heinrichs and Norman Laws

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6382; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116382 - 04 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1950

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was agreed upon by 193 member states of the United Nations in September 2015 [...] Full article

22 pages, 1098 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Administration and Governance for the SDGs: Navigating between Change and Stability

by Louis Meuleman

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5914; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115914 - 24 May 2021

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 11606

Abstract

This article highlights four key reform challenges regarding the quality of public administration and governance (PAG), aimed at increasing ‘SDG-readiness’ at all levels of administration, in a nexus characterized by complexity, volatility, pluriformity and uncertainty. Based on others’ research into how EU Member [...] Read more.

This article highlights four key reform challenges regarding the quality of public administration and governance (PAG), aimed at increasing ‘SDG-readiness’ at all levels of administration, in a nexus characterized by complexity, volatility, pluriformity and uncertainty. Based on others’ research into how EU Member States institutionalize the implementation of the SDGs, a critical review of SDG-governance approaches, as well as a review paper on the management of the SDGs, it is concluded that that four priority areas could guide research and policy development to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Firstly, to recognize that creating an effective public administration and governance is an important strategic policy area. Secondly, to begin with mission-oriented public administration and governance reform for SDG implementation, replacing the efficiency-driven public sector reform of the past decades. Thirdly, to apply culturally sensitive metagovernance to design, define and manage trade-offs and achieving synergies between SDGs and their targets. Fourthly, to start concerted efforts to improve policy coherence with a mindset beyond political, institutional, and mental ‘silos’. Full article

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15 pages, 270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Change from Within: Exploring Transformative Literacy in Public Administrations to Foster Sustainability Transitions

by Klaus Jacob, Caroline Paulick-Thiel, Julia Teebken, Sylvia Veit and Mandy Singer-Brodowski

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4698; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094698 - 22 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2553

Abstract

Public administrations are designed towards efficient and effective problem solving. A division of work along the various issues of public policy-making is constitutive for most administrations. With the recent demands to develop comprehensive transformative environmental policies, new tasks and requirements arise, both for [...] Read more.

Public administrations are designed towards efficient and effective problem solving. A division of work along the various issues of public policy-making is constitutive for most administrations. With the recent demands to develop comprehensive transformative environmental policies, new tasks and requirements arise, both for individual officers as well as administrative organizations. Two central questions emerge in this context: How do officers and public policy administrations cope with transformation processes and what competencies are needed for shaping transformations? Based on a comprehensive literature review on policies for transformation, organizational learning, and education for sustainable development, we present a concept for transformative literacy. We explored how this concept resonates with officers from the Ministry for the Environment and from the Environmental Protection Agency in Germany. To this end, we conducted 17 qualitative interviews with officers from various departments and levels of hierarchy. The analysis reveals four different types of actors with distinct perspectives regarding their own role and theories of societal and political change. We conclude that a collaborative mode among these types of actors to address the challenges of shaping transformations to sustainability can mobilize additional capacities by making use of their complementary skills and resources. The article suggests that this should be reflected in organizational reforms and in training programs for political administration. Full article

14 pages, 921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Sustainable Development in Six Transformation Fields of the Central Taiwan Science Park

by Fu-Hsuan Chen and Hao-Ren Liu

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084336 - 13 Apr 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2654

Abstract

By the establishment of science parks, Taiwan has achieved the ability to form high-tech industrial clusters and provided an environment for sustainable industrial development. This study analyzes the sustainable development strategy of the Central Taiwan Science Park (hereafter CTSP). The questions addressed here [...] Read more.

By the establishment of science parks, Taiwan has achieved the ability to form high-tech industrial clusters and provided an environment for sustainable industrial development. This study analyzes the sustainable development strategy of the Central Taiwan Science Park (hereafter CTSP). The questions addressed here include: (1) What is the concept of sustainable development in the CTSP? and (2) How does the research respond to the debate on the significance of the CTSP? The research data have been collected using interviews and observation. According to the literature, eight criteria are identified and set up as a framework to code and analyze the data: “natural resources, accessibility regulatory regime, market demand, development level, proximity condition, parcel conditions, and financial compensation”. The framework is then used for evaluating the sustainability of science parks in the light of 17 core goals proposed by the United Nations as Sustainable Development Goals/SDGs for the world. Evaluation of these core goals in the CTSP development revealed the successful transformation of Taiwan’s political and economic structure. In this study, the analysis of the sustainable development generated by the science parks indicates Taiwan’s transition from state leadership (strong state, weak society) to state guidance (strong state, strong society). However, despite its contribution to the long-term development of Taiwan’s economy, the CTSP development has been accompanied by environmental downsides, risking the sustainability goals. In conclusion, the state’s role in making CTSP successful and sustainable, the determining role of regulatory regimes, and moving from state leadership to state guidance are emphasized. Full article

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21 pages, 965 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Managing Sustainability and Carbon-Neutrality in the Public Administration—Case Report of a German State Institution

by Friederike Behr, Gero Oertzen and Manuel Dienst

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4146; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084146 - 08 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2376

Abstract

Since 2017, the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia (LANUV) has established an operational environmental and sustainability management and set specific objectives to reach operational carbon neutrality. In this context, central questions aim at the availability of financial [...] Read more.

Since 2017, the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia (LANUV) has established an operational environmental and sustainability management and set specific objectives to reach operational carbon neutrality. In this context, central questions aim at the availability of financial and human resources, the competition with other duties as well as the necessary involvement of the staff. Based on the practical example of LANUV, this article presents concrete activities, e.g., in context of mobility or human resources, as well as the challenges connected to them. While single measures do have a positive impact, a structural approach, like the set-up of an environmental management system (e.g., EMAS—Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), is found to be more effective. In addition, success factors are identified such as distinct structures and responsibilities, a capable person in charge of the process, and commitment on the management level, as well as challenges like the lack of governmental objectives and obligations or limited human and financial resources. This article follows the idea of a case report in a transdisciplinary manner, presenting ideas for enhancement and shedding a light on a possible spread of sustainability endeavors to other national institutions. Full article

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13 pages, 532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability and Air Freight Transportation: Lessons from the Global Pandemic

by John R. Bartle, Rebecca K. Lutte and Deniz Zeynep Leuenberger

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3738; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073738 - 27 Mar 2021

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 11510

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis has transformed the delivery of services and goods by public, private, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with one of the largest impacts being in air transport systems. This paper focuses on related opportunities and challenges within air freight transport management, exploring [...] Read more.

The COVID-19 crisis has transformed the delivery of services and goods by public, private, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with one of the largest impacts being in air transport systems. This paper focuses on related opportunities and challenges within air freight transport management, exploring sustainability in light of recent, heavy human and economic costs across the world. There is, in the resulting process of recovery, the potential to create changes in the airline industry and across a number of private and public partnerships that will improve long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability and stability. This paper also describes the impact of the current environment on air cargo operations to include the role of significantly reduced airline schedules on overall air cargo capacity. It considers the potential role of government in providing the infrastructure for collaboration between sectors, addressing the goals of sustainability, efficiency, effectiveness, and citizen responsiveness. NGOs provide a voice for community groups in ways that governments and corporations may not. Efficient markets link producers at various stages to consumers through global and local supply chains. Integrating key concepts from sustainable development and logistics, this paper explores short-run and long-run planning required by each of the three sectors to tackle the immediate shortfalls in global transportation by air. It then investigates urgent but longer-term environmental issues tied to air transport, such as global climate change, air pollution, and the nonrenewable nature of fossil fuels. Many of the infrastructural changes in the airline industry may offer solutions across public administration. With the tremendous impact of air transport on a number of other goods and services, carefully constructed solutions may have sustainability benefits across industries. As the tragedies of COVID-19 inevitably shake the foundations of organizational systems in all three sectors, this paper offers recommendations for advancing opportunities for a more efficient freight supply industry that minimize negative impacts through sustainable development. Full article

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22 pages, 822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overcoming Current Challenges for Circular Economy Assessment Implementation in Public Sector Organisations

by Hinrika Droege, Andrea Raggi and Tomás B. Ramos

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1182; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031182 - 23 Jan 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5597

Abstract

Circular Economy (CE) is seen as a key strategy in achieving sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To seize the potential of CE, public and private organisations need to evaluate and communicate their progress moving away from the non-sustainable [...] Read more.

Circular Economy (CE) is seen as a key strategy in achieving sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To seize the potential of CE, public and private organisations need to evaluate and communicate their progress moving away from the non-sustainable paradigm of “take–make–dispose” towards circularity. The literature and practitioners demonstrate a growing interest in CE assessment as a driver for this transition. Nevertheless, the majority of CE assessments are implemented in private companies and implementation in public sector organisations is low. This article presents the challenges that currently prevent public sector organisations from implementing CE assessment and derives strategies to overcome them. A total of 21 CE and assessment experts from the Portuguese public sector were interviewed, and the results were triangulated with an extensive policy document review. The findings show that cultural barriers, particularly a lack of public and political pressure as well as a resistance towards change, are considered the main challenges for CE assessment implementation. Cultural challenges drive structural ones such as a lack of leadership commitment, the voluntary nature, and a missing clear governance for CE assessment. Technical and financial challenges, contrary to previous findings of the literature, are not prioritised and are seen as a result of the cultural and structural challenges. Overall, the research suggests that CE assessment is often a discussion among academics and highly specialised practitioners. In order to drive its implementation, the debate has to involve stakeholders beyond expert circles to trigger awareness for its necessity and to facilitate usage for a broader audience. Full article

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16 pages, 2131 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Step-by-Step Process towards an Evolutionary Policy Encouraging the Adoption of Sustainable Business Models

by Angelo Paletta, Eleonora Foschi, Genc Alimehmeti and Alessandra Bonoli

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1176; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031176 - 22 Jan 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3147

Abstract

The increasing awareness on environmental issues and their implications for society and economy, has led policymakers to rethink the legislative and financial measures supporting companies to innovate their business. As a result, companies are encouraged to integrate corporate sustainability (CS) into their value [...] Read more.

The increasing awareness on environmental issues and their implications for society and economy, has led policymakers to rethink the legislative and financial measures supporting companies to innovate their business. As a result, companies are encouraged to integrate corporate sustainability (CS) into their value creation. Different from the past approaches, the current policy making process has been inspired by a multi-value creation system, aimed to deeply analyze the present situation, and identify the bottlenecks to design further steps to be taken. In this context, regional authorities cover a pivotal role in financing the pre-competitive phase of innovative and sustainable business models (SBMs). A survey was launched in the Emilia Romagna Region (ERR), analyzing the main factors contributing to maximizing CS. This paper investigates supply chain, welfare, environmental management as well as planning, control and communication strategy together with ecological footprints such as materials, energy, water, plastics, and waste ecological footprints. It gives a twofold contribution: first, it sets the stage for the construction of a theoretical model representing an SBM, and second, it gives a practical contribution by supporting the public administration decision-making in adopting a breakthrough roadmap facilitating the value transfer from industry to society. Full article

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2020

Jump to: 2022, 2021

17 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tensions in Urban Transitions. Conceptualizing Conflicts in Local Climate Policy Arrangements

by Winfried Osthorst

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010078 - 23 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2054

Abstract

Academic and political debate places great expectations on cities’ potential for furthering decentralized, bottom-up climate policies. Local policy research acknowledges the role of local agency to develop and implement sustainability, but also acknowledges internal conflicts. This partly reflects tensions between different functions of [...] Read more.

Academic and political debate places great expectations on cities’ potential for furthering decentralized, bottom-up climate policies. Local policy research acknowledges the role of local agency to develop and implement sustainability, but also acknowledges internal conflicts. This partly reflects tensions between different functions of the local level, and different governance models related to them. In addition, local dependency on higher level competencies, resources, and overarching strategies is discussed. This article proposes a focus on political processes and power relationships between levels of governance, and among relevant domains within cities, to understand the dynamics of policy change towards sustainability. Researching these dynamics within local climate policy arrangements (LCPAs) is proposed as an approach to understanding the complexities of local constellations and contradictions within them. It makes the distinction between “weak” and “strong” ecological modernization, and relates it to two basic rationales for local governance. The resulting typology denotes constellations characterizing policy change ambitions towards local climate policy in crucial domains, including economic development, energy infrastructures, climate change management, town planning and housing, and transportation. This article argues that this approach overcomes the limitations of the predominating conceptualizations of urban carbon control strategies as consistent, and recognises the multi-level dimension of such internal urban processes. Full article

18 pages, 391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Making Room for Volunteer Participation in Managing Public Affairs: A Russian Experience

by Maria V. Pevnaya, Anna A. Drozdova and Mariana Cernicova-Buca

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10229; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410229 - 08 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

In 2018, the United Nations Volunteers organization recognized that the governmental support for volunteering is a superior public management practice, offering the much-needed fuel for the integration of volunteering in politics, law-making, and social planning at the government level. The present article analyzes [...] Read more.

In 2018, the United Nations Volunteers organization recognized that the governmental support for volunteering is a superior public management practice, offering the much-needed fuel for the integration of volunteering in politics, law-making, and social planning at the government level. The present article analyzes the current situation of governmental support for volunteering at federal, regional, and local levels of public administration in the Russian Federation as a precondition for making coproduction of public services possible. The analysis is based on the scrutiny of documents, a questionnaire survey of Russian volunteers, and an expert poll of public servants and nonprofit organizations (NPO) leaders. The analysis of the state policy of support for volunteering is carried out with respect to the following parameters: the awareness and evaluation of national measures of the governmental support for volunteering, as well as the evaluation of informational, financial, consulting, and organizational measures to support volunteer organizations by regional and municipal civil servants. In a country such as the Russian Federation, where volunteering is a relatively young social phenomenon, public administration needs not only to provide support, but also to administer transformation processes toward sustainable development, relying on the partnership and resources volunteers bring for effectively managing public life. Full article

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20 pages, 2330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Introducing an Organizational Perspective in SDG Implementation in the Public Sector in Spain: The Case of the Former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment

by Miguel Soberón, Teresa Sánchez-Chaparro, Julia Urquijo and David Pereira

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9959; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239959 - 28 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3306

Abstract

The public sector has an indisputable role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the interrelated nature of the SDGs represents a challenge for the public sector, which has in the last few decades undergone a process of specialization, decentralization [...] Read more.

The public sector has an indisputable role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the interrelated nature of the SDGs represents a challenge for the public sector, which has in the last few decades undergone a process of specialization, decentralization and fragmentation. Hence, the establishment of coordination mechanisms within the public sector are needed to ensure implementation. This article introduces an organizational perspective in a participative SDG prioritization process carried out by a public organization: the former Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA). A case study methodology is used to identify internal collaboration needs in order to address the SDGs and to analyze the driving and restraining forces operating within the organization so that the required organizational changes can be initiated. Our findings reveal that the organizational perspective is key in supporting SDG implementation and boosting the transformative capacity that underpins the 2030 Agenda. Public organizations must combine different coordination approaches, according to the demands that each specific SDG target makes upon the organization. Furthermore, engaging internal agents in participative processes for the development of the implementation is essential to reproducing the dynamics of internal collaboration that will be needed in future stages of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. Full article

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19 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Icebergs of Expertise-Based Leadership: The Role of Expert Leaders in Public Administration

by Sadia Hanif, Ali Ahsan and Graham Wise

Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4544; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114544 - 03 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 8270

Abstract

There is a pressing need for public administration leaders to exhibit expertise-based intuitive leadership traits for developing countries to respond to sustainability challenges. While the importance of explicit and tacit knowledge to underpin expertise-based intuitive decision-making is known, public service leaders of developing [...] Read more.

There is a pressing need for public administration leaders to exhibit expertise-based intuitive leadership traits for developing countries to respond to sustainability challenges. While the importance of explicit and tacit knowledge to underpin expertise-based intuitive decision-making is known, public service leaders of developing countries can lack these traits. It is necessary to explore the reasons for leadership skills gaps in order to define remedial actions, such as better executive development training. This study conducts 28 in-depth interviews with public administration leaders, managers, and executive training professionals in Pakistan to address the challenge of how to build expertise-based intuitive leadership traits in public administration leaders. The main findings highlight deficiencies in domain-specific knowledge and soft skills. Deficits in the formal training of leaders and the negative contribution of cultural preconditions both result in explicit and tacit knowledge gaps that undermine expertise-based intuitive decision-making. An “iceberg of expertise-based leadership” model is conceptualized, extending on previous models, to describe the intangible role that explicit and tacit knowledge play in the visible expression of leadership skills. The relevance of this model for the success of public sector-led initiatives for sustainable development is highlighted. Full article

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