Sustainable development as a management guideline: a view from Russia

The article discusses the role of sustainable development ideas in managerial practices, specifically public administration and challenges that the limited understanding of sustainable development as an idea of formal adherence to specific outside principles may pose. The article argues that for a state being under external political pressure, although presenting a challenge, offers an opportunity to build a sustainable development system not only fitting this state’s needs, but also conforming to the core ideas of the sustainable development concept to a far greater extent than mere following popular ideas. The article discusses the Russia’s efforts in this sphere and argues that Russia’s sustainable development system is being built around the core ideas of sustainability. Russian approach towards sustainable development sees it as a managerial task, a project of sort with the required legal framework, resources and administrative efforts. On all these levels the arrangements provide for a quite resilient system.