Governance and Sustainability
Originally launched in 2007, the Governance & Sustainability Research Programme is led by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Westminster. External partners include staff at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC) and the Department of the History of Science at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore).
The programme overall aims to analyse the interrelationship between, on the one hand, sustainable development and sustainability discourses and, on the other, diverse forms of multi-level and multi-actor governance processes. To date, this has taken the form of a series of research projects dealing with topics, such as sustainable housing policy, sustainable communities and flooding, regional environmental and economic governance, European fishery policy, the institutional governance of sustainability, the accountability of new modes of governance, and sustainability and world cities.
The research of the Governance & Sustainability team is characterised by its engagement in:
- empirically informed theorising: advancing theoretical knowledge and critical reflection based on empirical analysis
- policy relevance: contributing to policy evaluation, deliberation and advice
- methodological innovation: developing new tools and methods able to analyse issues at the interface between governance and sustainability.
Current research projects are being developed and delivered through six overarching research themes (see ‘research’ on left drop-down menu). This research is accompanied by regular seminars, workshops and public lectures, and contributions to various international conferences. In addition, the programme runs a Visiting Fellowship scheme; and contributes to teaching and research training. For full information, see left drop-down menu.