Sustainable development - from global to local scales. An analysis of evaluation tools developed by local public actors

Many evaluation tools have appeared in recent years in France and Switzerland in the field of sustainable development (SD). Most have been developed by local authorities. One major interest of these tools is that they enable us to precisely identify the perceptions of SD which local authorities tend to make their own. The analysis we made of these tools reveals a clear tendency for local authorities to consider SD as a consensual concept with which to tackle local policies or projects through a three dimensional approach (the so-called triptych approach based on ecological, economic and social dimensions). It is generally assumed that these three dimensions should be addressed in a strictly balanced manner, i.e. with each being accorded equal importance. Since such a "balanced" approach to SD seems to be increasingly popular at the local level, it is important to re-question it and set it in a broader and more global context. One question in particular needs to be explored: while most SD concerns at the global level seem to have their sources in growing social and/or ecological disparities, is it judicious to tackle the issue of SD at the local level through this "balanced" approach? Would it not be more relevant for local actors to prioritise those dimensions (social, ecological or economic) in which they tend to have the worst performances in the global context?.