Transparency and Leverage Points for Sustainable Resource Management

• Published in: Sustainability
• Main Authors: Gisladottir, Johanna, Sigurgeirsdottir, Sigurbjörg, Stjernquist, Ingrid, Ragnarsdottir, Kristin Vala
• Other Authors: Faculty of Political Science, Agricultural University of Iceland, University of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: corruption; leverage points; sustainable resource management; transparency; Computer Science (miscellaneous); Geography; Planning and Development; Renewable Energy; Sustainability and the Environment; Building and Construction; Environmental Science (miscellaneous); Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Hardware and Architecture; Computer Networks and Communications; Management; Monitoring; Policy and Law; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416801

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. The phrase ‘sunshine is the best disinfectant’ is commonly used to suggest that transparency can counter corruption and ensure accountability. In the policy world, several analytical tools have been developed to obtain information on what policy decision would bring about the biggest positive effect for the least amount of effort. There is a tendency to view transparency as the silver bullet in that respect. This paper aimed to shed light on how measures of transparency can serve as a leverage point for sustainable resource management. We begin by analysing the concept of transparency and then draw from Donella Meadows’ work on leverage points to analyse the transformative potential of increasing transparency towards sustainable resource management. We then demonstrate the use of this analytical approach by applying it to three case studies on resource management systems in Ukraine, Romania, and Iceland. The results suggested that transparency in resource management needs to be accompanied by widely accepted standards and accountability mechanisms for it to serve as an effective leverage point. If these factors are neglected, the credibility of transparency can be undermined. Prioritising transparency as a policy intervention to alleviate corruption risks, in the absence of accountability mechanisms and clear rules, might be misplaced, and require deeper leverage points. Peer reviewed