ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters of this book have presented a number of insights into the challenges, opportunities and progress made with regard to sustainable development in practice in the developing world. The idea of sustainable development has been seen to be a strong influence in directing wide-ranging changes in development interventions: in terms of the way individuals act, business interests operate and communities organise themselves, for example, but also in directing the nature of state activities, in prompting the formation of new international institutions, and in fostering new ways in which all such organisations relate to each other in the search for patterns and processes of change which are sustainable. Whilst the progress made towards sustainable development is substantial, the challenges have also been seen to be ongoing and indeed are evolving continuously. They also remain contested.
