Singapore University of Social Sciences

CSD510 Sustainable Development for Social Well-Being will analyze the impact of sustainable development on social well-being in terms of issues, impacts, root causes and solutions. Different aspects and perspectives of sustainable development are critically explored, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The module will examine how social well-being is constructed, measured and interpreted. This includes comparing and analyzing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Happiness (GNH) and other quantitative and qualitative instruments. Students will gain an understanding of how development policies and processes at the macro level impact on local communities. These macro-level processes include globalization, industrialization, trade, population trends, informal economies and economic externalities. The course will deep-dive into key environmental and social sustainability issues such as climate change, resource depletion, planetary limits, poverty, inequality, social stratification and mobility. The module will examine investments in and returns from social provisioning and development, policy levers and trade-offs from the government’s perspective, role of corporations particularly in less-developed countries, social participation of institutions and community organizations, and the value of leadership and coordination across the different stakeholders.