ABSTRACT
The last three decades have seen intense and wide-ranging debates concerning the concept of sustainable development, its usage and operationalisation. These debates have taken place both in international scholarly and public policy arenas, and they remind one of the evolutions of other concepts such as democracy, freedom or welfare. Disagreements exist even among those who support and encourage the use of the term and result from differences in theoretical approaches, its interpretation at policy level or in its philosophical and ethical implications.
