Abstract:

Much of the sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) literature presumes that sustainability interventions are normatively desirable and ultimately welfare-enhancing, while adverse consequences are treated as temporary trade-offs for collective good. This developmental paper questions that premise by foregrounding the social costs borne by intended beneficiaries of sustainability initiatives, particularly in the Global South. We argue that dominant cost–benefit framings privilege monetised and aggregate outcomes while overlooking losses that are privately internalised and rarely institutionally recognised. Drawing on the capability approach, we conceptualise social cost as multidimensional capability deprivation, encompassing financial, relational, security, adaptive, and legitimation losses that manifest as both monetary and non-monetary costs to the stakeholder. We further propose that responsibilisation as a governance mechanism operates as a conditioning mechanism that compounds these costs by reframing burdens as moral obligations rather than compensable harms. Using illustrative cases across the Global South, we demonstrate how environmentally positive transitions can compound social costs, particularly among the already marginalised community stakeholders.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Sustainable and Responsible Business

Keywords: responsible business;CSR;secondary research/concept paper

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Prof David Guttormsen