| Sustainable development has become the major paradigm driving international environmental policy and initiatives since its introduction by Norwegian Prime Minister Brundtland in 1987. Despite major progress by the United Nations, the European Union and multilateral stakeholders throughout the world, success of sustainable development is fragmented. The gap between developed and developing countries is widening, initiatives are not meeting aims, and prioritization by actors of sustainable development is uneven. I hypothesize that fragmentation of sustainable development occurs at the state level, and that more data and research on the role of the state should be included in sustainable development indicators in order to improve the execution of related initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to look at the role of the Italian government at the national and regional levels, in policymaking, providing infrastructure and resources, and engaging civil society in the efficient implementation of sustainable development. |
