“Sustainable Development: moving from concept to strategy”

The countries of Latin America have formally established “Sustainable Development” as their stated goal and framework for advancing national development. However, stark competitiveness and sustainability divides between and within countries remain.

For nearly 3 decades, Costa Rica has pursued and applied the principles of sustainable development more consistently and explicitly than most countries, and in parallel with aggressive trade and economic integration with the rest of the world.  This makes the country, and some of its key industries, an interesting place to explore how economics, social well-being and the environment relate to each other. 

The diverse faculty (from multiple countries and academic disciplines) will use lectures, case-studies, guest speakers and simulations to address the opportunities and challenges for business and countries incorporating sustainability into their strategies. Sessions will address: the political economy of national development in a globalized economy, integration of environmental and social priorities into economic development strategies, sustainability in business strategy in global value chains (agriculture, tourism and manufacturing will be examined), strategic CSR management. Base of the Pyramid (BoP) and impact investment strategies for creating social value.