Integrating sustainable development into economics curriculum: A case study analysis and sector wide survey of barriers

Bradley, Peter

Abstract

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Economics is a critical subject for the integration of sustainable development into curriculum given the discipline's influence in shaping social metabolism of societies, inequality, environmental impacts and wellbeing. There are very few empirical studies of the integration of sustainable development into economics curriculum. The purpose of the paper is to conduct analysis of a department wide intervention to integrate sustainable development into economics at a case study University, the first of its kind. The study makes use of surveys, interviews and key word searches to provide both qualitative and quantitative data and findings. Results indicate integration of sustainable development into curriculum on some modules but not the majority of the sample, evidence of resistance was also found. A range of barriers to integrating sustainable development into curriculum were identified in interviews. A sector wide survey on barriers to integrating sustainable development into economics curriculum was then conducted to provide empirical evidence on the subject. This is the first sector wide study of barriers to integrating sustainable development into economics curriculum. Results from the survey show that the Research Excellence Framework is a substantial barrier to integrating sustainable development into economics curriculum. The survey can be developed and applied elsewhere in the world to enable comparative analysis across countries, to get wider evidence on barriers.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 15, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2018
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 4, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 23, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Cleaner Production
• Print ISSN: 0959-6526
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-1786
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 209
• Pages: 333-352
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.184
• Keywords: sustainable development, sustainability, economics, curriculum, educating, ESD, teaching
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/852575
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.184
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published version is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.184.
• Contract Date: Jan 4, 2019