Sustainable development and social inclusion: Towards an integrated approach to research
A review of how sustainable development research can best include issues of social inclusion.
This report highlights the role of research in underpinning the Government’s objectives for sustainable development and social inclusion. In particular, it seeks to ensure that social exclusion and environmental justice issues are properly reflected in the emerging agenda for sustainable development research. It presents a compelling argument for engaging excluded communities in the research, both to make research more relevant to the needs of such communities and to ensure that research results are used more effectively to facilitate positive change.
The report also evaluates the work of the Sustainable Development Research (SDR) Network and includes the proceedings of the Network’s first annual conference. Leading researchers review the current state of knowledge and future research needs with respect to: sustainable energy; the rural economy; social exclusion, pollution and health; quality of life and economic growth; sustainability appraisal tools; and the future of Research Council funding for cross-cutting sustainable development research.