UDTR — Radar mondial des droits de la Nature

Are local governments pursuing deeper systems change through sustainability governance? Analysis of seven Australian case studies

Identification

Clé publique

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104651

Auteurs

Eleanor Robson

Année déclarée

2026

Langue déclarée

en

Type source

article

Première détection

2026-11-09T19:04:47.593332+00:00

Dernière observation des métadonnées

2026-11-09T19:05:49.203081+00:00

Dernière vérification HTTP

Non effectuée

Institutions déclarées par la source

Western Sydney University

Pays d’affiliation déclarés

AU

Résumé documentaire — langue originale

Local governments (LGs) play a critical role in sustainability governance in Australia, yet few recent studies holistically examine whether and how LGs pursue deeper systemic change to address planetary challenges. This article addresses this gap through interviews with seven Australian LG case studies and three LG associations, analysed using Scoones et al.’s (2020) transformations framework outlining three major schools of thought: systemic, structural, and enabling approaches. The analysis found that proactive LGs predominantly employ reforming and systemic approaches, leveraging statutory responsibilities to increase ambition, resourcing and attention to environmental sustainability in governance. Case studies demonstrated efforts to transform internal processes and how they inform environmental outcomes; through enhanced resourcing, innovative monitoring frameworks, and cultural change, while influencing external sustainability outcomes in areas of LG authority. While most did not explicitly acknowledge pursuing deep systems change, their approaches imply significant commitment to environmental improvement within institutional, cultural, administrative and financial constraints. One LG experimented with structural approaches by challenging growth-based assumptions through Rights of Nature principles. While LGs occupy a liminal space being both part of, and separate to, their communities, one case study exemplified an enabling approach by supporting community-driven environmental visions and capacity. Engagement with Traditional Owners emerged as complex, spanning all transformation approaches while highlighting tensions between process-based and culturally transformative partnerships. Findings suggest LGs serve dual roles as agents and objects of transformative change but struggle to pursue deeper structural and enabling forms of transformation in their operating context. Public funding for LGs should be significantly increased to enable LGs to pursue sustainability governance as decoupled from a growth imperative for economic development. LGs should also be supported to develop skills and understanding of all levels and forms of systems change which is possible within, and by, their statutory obligations and roles and supported to learn from one another on how they are pursuing deeper systems change. Further research should seek to unearth LGs pursuing transformative sustainability governance approaches to develop empirical frameworks, pathways, and lessons on the requisites for others to also do so.

Identifiants

OPENALEX

W7165679432

DOI

10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104651

Repères documentaires

Famille documentaire

Doctrine

Types déclarés par les sources

article

Les mentions d’entités ne constituent pas une preuve de reconnaissance juridique. La juridiction étudiée est distincte du pays d’affiliation des auteurs.

Sources

OpenAlex · Document 1 · Document 2

• DOI · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104651
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W7165679432

Relations bibliographiques documentées

Références et liens déclarés par les sources ; ils ne constituent pas une preuve juridique ni une qualification UGLC. Affichage limité à 20 références sortantes.

• openalex:w1965131220 · CITES
• openalex:w1970353078 · CITES
• openalex:w1975978501 · CITES
• openalex:w1980447846 · CITES
• openalex:w2013379482 · CITES
• openalex:w2014731449 · CITES
• openalex:w2046692172 · CITES
• openalex:w2058510718 · CITES
• openalex:w2059895377 · CITES
• openalex:w2062133925 · CITES
• openalex:w2067682658 · CITES
• openalex:w2069277793 · CITES
• openalex:w2070488366 · CITES
• openalex:w2153904332 · CITES
• openalex:w2168888692 · CITES
• openalex:w2193206597 · CITES
• openalex:w2470439238 · CITES
• openalex:w2473015971 · CITES
• openalex:w2582674725 · CITES
• openalex:w2605651925 · CITES

0 références entrantes au sein du corpus détecté

Statut documentaire

Pertinence à examiner

Bibliothèque

Cette identité n’est pas encore intégrée à la Bibliothèque juridique.