Introduction
Welcome to this course on sustainability and multilevel governance! The course provides an
overview of different perspectives on the concept of sustainability. This includes economic
development, social development, and the protection of the natural environment. Building on
this, the course looks at international agreements and cooperation among different countries
concerning sustainable development and discusses the role of relevant global organizations in
this respect. How are sustainability policies and goals initiated and shaped? Which actors are
important in these processes? From the global level as a starting point, we further move on to
the various levels of governance, the EU, member states, local, and regional level and have a
closer look on the question how and by which actors sustainability concepts and goals are shaped
and implemented at all levels of governance.