Guiding Questions to Authors
Why is the question of sustainability through participation relevant in your individual issue area? Have sustainability and participation been legally recognised, are they merely policy guidelines, soft law, are they tools to further the implementation of norms and obligations, do they provide interpretive guidance?
What is sustainability and how would you describe the concept of sustainability in your issue area? You may refer to:
What are legal documents that demand ‘sustainable development’ aiming for?
Are there different meanings in international, supranational, and national legal documents?
Are there empirical or theoretical parameters that can be used to pin down the concept?
Does an interdisciplinary approach help to interpret the concept?
How can it be differentiated from neighbouring concepts such as ‘responsibility for future generations’ or ‘protection of natural resources’?
Is sustainability per se linked to environmental protection or are there different concepts of sustainability depending on the area of research? If so, how does it relate to concepts in other disciplines (especially in economics and philosophy)? Are there further related concepts?
What is participation and how would you describe the concept of participation in your issue area?
What are the legal documents that demand ‘participation’ aiming for?
Are there different meanings in international, supranational, and national legal documents?
Are there empirical or theoretical parameters that can be used to pin down the concept?
Does an interdisciplinary approach help to define the concept?
Is participation used as a means to achieve sustainability in your issue area? If so, explain the connections between the two concepts. You may refer to:
How are sustainability and participation interlinked?
What are the legal reasons for their interconnection, i.e. is the interconnection commended by higher-ranking norms, according to the hierarchy of laws in your issue area, etc.? Which forms of participation in decision-making shall ensure sustainability or sustainable development in your issue area? In particular:
- –Which persons or groups are considered as rights-holders?
- –What are the actual legal obligations discussed under the concept of sustainability and participation?
- –How are the two concepts enforced?
- –If possible, refer to individual examples, answering those questions.