Contradictions and barriers to sustainable development of territories

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify contradictions and obstacles to the transition to sustainable development in the territories. The methodological framework is analysis and synthesis, the concept of sustainable development, institutional analysis approaches, limited rationality and opportunism in behaviour, ideas about stakeholders, and systematic and scenario-based approaches. The Sustainable Development Goals reflect interests of the world’s population. However, the search for consensus on a strategy to achieve them is hampered by existing and emerging contradictions. The paper describes the practice of formulating a compromise on the environmental situation in the territory. The analysis of factors is presented in the context of theoretical constraints, interests of various territories and social groups. Gaps and various contradictions have been identified in the implementation of sustainable development concept in the territories. The contradictions between components of sustainable development; the essence of sustainable development tools; the competitiveness of the territory’s products and an effective system of internalization of externalities; various stakeholders are considered. The territories’ transition to sustainable development requires the removal of considered and potential contradictions. Possible directions for this are presented.