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Preserving Culture in Meeting Sustainable Development

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Decent Work and Economic Growth

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Definition

The principal issue with respect to sustainable development and its relationship with culture can arguably be found in the measurement related to the attainment of the goal, gross domestic product (GDP). By its very definition, GDP is a production, resource, and technology focused indicator that is biased toward a singular perception of economic purpose and progress. The imposition of the indicator as a standard measurement tool to track SDG 8 progress and attainment implicitly fosters a convergence to a singular cultural perception to the extent that economic systems influence culture. To preserve cultural diversity, this relationship needs to be recognized along with the inclusion of alternate economic systems aligned to existing cultures in lieu of a singular GDP-based framework.

Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 8, aim at sustaining GDP growth in least developed countries (LDCs) above seven percent per year. However, climate-related...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Madhavi Venkatesan

Authors
  1. Madhavi Venkatesan
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Correspondence to Madhavi Venkatesan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. School of Sustainability Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

    Rimjhim M Aggarwal

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Venkatesan, M. (2020). Preserving Culture in Meeting Sustainable Development. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Decent Work and Economic Growth. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71058-7_130-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71058-7_130-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71058-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71058-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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