Sustainability and local economic development: Pathways to resilience and growth

Volume editor

Natanya Meyer

Volume editor

Marius Venter

Volume editor

Chris Schachtebeck

Synopsis

This volume responds to the urgent need for integrated scholarship on sustainable economic development within contexts marked by inequality, climate risk and structural unemployment. While sustainability, entrepreneurship and governance are widely studied as distinct fields, limited work systematically connects them in ways that are theoretically grounded, empirically robust and directly applicable to policy and practice in the Global South. This book addresses that gap by presenting an interdisciplinary and methodologically rigorous examination of sustainability-linked economic development, with particular attention to South Africa and comparable emerging economies.

The book makes an original contribution by advancing a contextualised understanding of how sustainability principles can be embedded in entrepreneurial ecosystems, public governance frameworks and community development initiatives. Rather than reproducing established global models, the chapters critically interrogate their relevance in vulnerable and resource-constrained settings. Contributors engage with international frameworks such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and examine how these can be adapted to local institutional realities, regulatory environments and socio-economic conditions. This approach generates new theoretical insights into localisation, institutional alignment and adaptive innovation. Each chapter is authored by subject specialists and subjected to peer review to ensure scholarly integrity and academic credibility. The contributions are underpinned by clearly articulated research questions, explicit methodological frameworks and transparent data analysis.

Methodologies range from qualitative case studies and policy analysis to quantitative modelling and mixed methods approaches. This methodological diversity strengthens the volume by allowing complex sustainability challenges to be examined from multiple vantage points, while maintaining analytical coherence. The book’s relevance extends beyond academia. Policymakers will find context-sensitive analyses that inform regulatory design and development planning. Practitioners and development agencies will benefit from tested frameworks and case-based insights that support implementation. At the same time, the theoretical refinements and empirical findings contribute to international debates on sustainable development and economic transformation, ensuring global scholarly relevance.

Chapters

Preface

Natanya Meyer
Chapter 1
The impact of sustainable business practices on economic development

Jonathan Tembo, Chioma Okoro
Chapter 2
The 21st-century entrepreneur: The impact of sustainable innovation towards local development

Lebogang Matholwane Mathole
Chapter 3
Resilience and adaptation: Strategies for building local economic resilience in response to global ESG challenges

Lee-Ann Sade Modley
Chapter 4
Green entrepreneurship as a catalyst for local economic development

Malebo Suzan Mulaudzi, Natanya Meyer, Ziska Fields
Chapter 5
Community resilience in South Africa: Navigating governance crisis and local economic vulnerability

Lia Hewitt, Chris Botha
Chapter 6
The role of leadership stability in enhancing psychological capital and well-being in local governance

Leonard Mosley, Jan Petrus Grundling, Lizl Steynberg
Chapter 7
Harmonising heritage and innovation: Lifelong learning and cultural entrepreneurship in sustainable urban development

Peter Walther Baur, Marius Venter
Chapter 8
Navigating sustainability: Exploring unconventional practices for sustainable urban and rural development

Bulelwa Maphela, Chané de Bruyn, Marius Venter
Chapter 9
Empowering local economies through sustainable pharmaceutical supply chains: A comprehensive analysis and future research directions

Blessing Takawira, David Pooe
Chapter 10
Sustainable community empowerment through coding and digital innovation

Daneel van Lill, Abejide Ade-Ibijola