Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Times of Rising Right-Wing Populism in Europe

Sara Gottenhuber and Eric Mulholland
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Sara Gottenhuber: Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Eric Mulholland: Institute for Managing Sustainability, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: This article discusses two ostensibly antagonistic themes: right-wing populism (RWP) and the UN 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). European politics has seen a sharp increase in right-wing populist influence over the last few election periods. More recently, such political influence has led to questions about right-wing populism’s impact on environmental and sustainable development policy. This paper takes a novel approach to understanding the potential connections between the rise of RWP in Europe and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in two ways. First, the paper is based on two workshops, informed by a preceding literature review on the topic of RWP in Europe, requested and organised by the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN). Secondly, the results from the workshops are used to discuss and interpret the role of potentially differing worldviews (ontology, axiology, epistemology and societal vision) and how these relate to specific policy and governance responses, thereby impacting upon the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in European countries.

Keywords: 2030 agenda; governance; worldviews (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8465-:d:427864

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