About the Book
The purpose of the module is to examine local, regional, and global processes of disintegration and integration and the challenges these processes pose for sustainable development. Using the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a case study, this module highlights the distinct challenges that disintegration and integration have posed for societies in transition. The module will provide you with an overview of contemporary trends of disintegration and integration, the issues and trade-offs that confront local leaders in an increasingly inter-connected world, and specific examples of communities that are struggling to reconcile local, regional, and global interests as they move toward sustainable development. The module will provide you with a forum to examine the linkages between social, economic, and environmental processes, and to analyze problems, examine policy, pose questions, and reflect generally on topics of regional, national, and global concern.
The content and structure of the training module are designed to introduce you to the complex meaning and manifestations of disintegration and integration, namely, what they mean, how they are inter-related, how they are manifested in different regions of the world, and how they impact the sustainability of societies in transition, specifically the former Soviet Union. You will learn about three regions in the CIS - Armenia, Moldova, and the Republic of Kalmykia - and three crosscutting issues related to sustainability: energy use, sustainable agriculture, and land use and desertification. These three regions have been selected as case studies because they richly demonstrate the complexities of, and potential for, change in development patterns. Specifically, you will learn about: the impacts of transition on governance; the driving forces and trends in integration/disintegration processes; the targets, forms, and constraints of economic liberalization and its impacts on society; and the implications of a diverse cultural environment for the development of societies in transition.
The objectives of the training module are to: familiarize you with disintegration and integration as contemporary political, economic, and social processes and sustainability as a guiding principle of development; examine how processes of disintegration and integration impact and shape efforts toward sustainability in countries around the world, particularly in three regions of the CIS; familiarize you with institutional agendas and governance and development patterns created by integration and disintegration at national, regional, and international levels; help you identify the cultural, historical, and socio-economic basis of regionalism, as well as the constraints and limits of integration processes. It also aims to identify the obstacles and opportunities that disintegration and integration pose for sustainable development and assess how sustainable development might be achieved, both now and in the future; help you to recognize how processes of disintegration and integration have impacted your own community and what it might require for sustainable development to be achieved in this context.
The module is divided into four main sections: Section One: Overview of Disintegration, Integration, and Sustainable Development - This section provides you with a background on the issues and central theme of the module. It begins by defining disintegration, integration, and sustainable development and then explains the relationships between them. Global trends of disintegration and integration, such as the expanding global economy and shifting national borders, are the focus of this section. These trends have spurred transition at local, national, regional, and international levels. The type and scale of disintegration and integration that each country experiences depends on factors such as the nature of its political history and development, the strength of its economy, the impact of globalization, and alliances with other nations, regions, and trading blocs.
Seen through the eyes of LEAD Associates in ten countries, the unique perspectives and experiences of Brazil, China, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Southern Africa will help you understand how disintegration and integration processes have played out in each country and the ways in which these processes have impacted sustainable development. An overview article by Mikhail Gorbachev - "Entering the 21st Century" - introduces the section. Section Two: Measuring Sustainable Development - What are the possibilities for change in societies needing a new and more sustainable way of life? To answer this, you need to be aware of the tools and indicators used to measure sustainability and be able to assess which ones are most relevant and meaningful. This section offers you a sampling of several indicators, which you can use to - examine the values and goals informing the indicator, compare and contrast the indicators to observe differences and similarities in outcomes, assess which indicators would work best for a country in transition and why, and identify which indicator is most applicable to your country, and why.
Section Three: CIS Case Study - The former Soviet Union, now the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), experienced a dramatic transition in the 1990s. The social, political, economic, and environmental effects of disintegration and integration have been far-reaching and profound. Consequently, the newly independent countries of the CIS provide an exceptional opportunity to observe and explore the merits and challenges of societal transition and its impacts on sustainability. Drawing upon the experience of a LEAD International training session held in the CIS in September 2001, disintegration, integration, and the quest for sustainability are examined through the eyes of three regions in transition: Armenia, Moldova, and the Republic of Kalmykia. After learning about each of the case studies, you will be asked to respond to a set of questions about the impact of disintegration and integration processes on these communities and what their future might hold.
Section Four: Disintegration and Integration Patterns in Your Country - You will be asked to consider a set of questions that invite reflection on how processes of disintegration and integration have affected your community and country. Keeping the experiences of the three CIS regions in mind, you will be asked to consider how sustainable development might be achieved in your own community, and what economic, social, and political changes this might require.
Table of Contents:
About This Module How To Use This Module Section One: Overview of Disintegration, Integration and Sustainable Development Section Two: Measuring Sustainable Development Section Three: Disintegration or Integration: Case Study of the CIS Section Four: Disintegration and Integration in Your Country Evaluation Form
About the Author :
LEAD Background and History LEAD is an international non-profit organization with a fast growing network of 1600 leaders in more than 80 countries. Our shared mission is to inspire leadership for a sustainable world. We do this by searching worldwide for outstanding people, developing their leadership potential through innovative training programmes and working with them to mobilise others to make a real difference to the future of this planet. In 1991, the founders of LEAD identified the urgent need for a generation of new leaders for a new world. We began to recruit leaders, mostly from developing countries, and built strong relationships with them through intensive training and both face-to-face and virtual networking. We believe that in order to build a sustainable world, we need to build bridges between people, professions, and countries. LEAD's training and action network is coordinated through an international secretariat based at Imperial College London. There are fourteen LEAD Member Programme offices across the world. LEAD Training and Capacity Development These LEAD centres deliver training programmes that challenge traditional notions of leadership with progressive participatory techniques. Our trainees learn through multi-stakeholder dialogue, whole systems thinking, and inclusive cross-cultural processes. We train business executives, government officials, academics, NGO directors, activists, education and media professionals. Our multi-lingual training team works with top-level experts and practitioners from around the world who focus on emerging topics relevant to leadership and sustainable development. Each year since 1991, an average of up to 200 LEAD Fellows have graduated from our core training programme. Fellows gain first hand experiences of the problems facing their own and other countries and learn how to work effectively in teams to find solutions. We equip these "rising stars" with the skills and knowledge to make them valuable leaders in their own countries and on the world stage. LEAD also constantly works with like-minded partner organizations to co-design and develop new leadership programmes and training resources. Training courses and learning events for international organizations and various national bodies are developed and delivered, as are specialist publications in print and electronic format. LEAD Action Network In addition to delivering high quality leadership training, LEAD is committed to achieving real change through our global action network. We encourage our leaders to turn their ideas into action, become dynamic change-agents and build initiatives for a sustainable world. LEAD provides long-term support for individuals striving to find solutions to their countries' problems and we keep our leaders in touch with each other through in-country meetings, web services and peer learning initiatives. We identify best practice within our network and provide information to partners about our leaders most innovative policies and projects. LEAD also builds multi-stakeholder partnerships to develop and implement the network's best ideas and replicate them in other countries. LEAD sets targets and priorities within sustainable development for its leaders to collaborate on. These action programs mobilize and harness the collective talent, vision and synergy in this unique network.
