Exploring Sustainable Development Goals in Master’s Degree Programmes: An Emphasis on Public Administration Studies in European Countries

Abstract

This chapter investigates the link between sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) studies across European countries. Beyond the conventional discourse surrounding master’s degree programmes, our focus extends to the imperative role of MPA education in fostering a comprehensive understanding of SDGs among future top management employees in the public sector. While there is a high emphasis on private sector initiatives and business education’s role in sustainable development, the critical role of public services and the state’s capacity is overlooked. The research question addressed is how to enhance the future state’s capacity to promote SDGs and establish an effective, sustainable administration. Through a comprehensive analysis of the Web of Science Core Collection, we will explore the use of the central term ‘SDG’ and related topics within the papers on the European education field. Additionally, we will examine master’s degree presentations across various universities in the States participating in the Horizon Programme. We mainly focus on understanding the incorporation of SDG-related content in Romanian universities’ diploma supplements. Besides the literature review, we will use content analysis techniques to categorise and evaluate the data gathered from the Web of Science database and master’s degree presentations.

1. Introduction

Sustainability balances environmental, economic, and equity goals and outcomes [1]. It involves national and international players (policymakers, public and private managers) who can forecast future systems, create alternative scenarios and develop strategies to achieve a better future for all. Nevertheless, it acknowledges the challenges, including the unpredictability of socio–environmental systems and potential risks, all in a performance context. Sustainability sometimes describes everything and nothing simultaneously, putting us on new, unclear roads to our shared future.

Sustainability refers to the ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the resources of future generations necessary to meet their own needs. As stated in the SDG report [2], it involves balancing economic, social and environmental factors to ensure long-term well-being and the preservation of natural resources. Achieving sustainability requires transformative changes in policies, practices and behaviours at individual, societal, and global levels. These changes cannot be reached without an education system that provides programmes adapted to future needs based on present results. Sustainable practices aim to minimise negative impacts on the environment, promote social equity and justice and support economic development that is both inclusive and environmentally responsible. We started the study with the idea that the concept of ‘sustainability’ was perverted over time, and we lost its educational context in technicalities.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted after 2015, but the studies addressing them did not flourish as expected. Moreover, studies on managing sustainable goals in the public sector have not yet been developed. The studies focus more on science’s role in accelerating transformations towards sustainable development and less on actual governance. Governance of sustainability reveals the capacity of the state, even regional organisations, such as the European Union, to deal with the challenges and transformative ideas prompted by SDGs.

2. Literature review

Sustainability comprises different aspects, including environmental, social and economic future. It requires a holistic and integrated approach to address the interconnected challenges that our world is facing today, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, inequality and resource diminution. A search for literature reviews on sustainability within the Web of Science Core Collection has yielded more than 300,000 results in the last few years after the adoption of SDGs by the United Nations. Among the first five main issues addressed in the literature, we can find environmental sciences (125,620), green sustainable science technology (118,690), environmental studies (99,204), energy fuels (19,142) and engineering environmental (17,476). As we can observe, out of the five issues emphasised, three are directly addressed to the environment, and none of them are to governance, not to mention the responsibility.

As influential social institutions, higher education institutions (HESs) are essential in promoting social responsibility and sustainable practices [3]. However, approaches to implementing sustainable development in master programmes designed within HESs remain fuzzy. Education of future leaders is one way to achieve a sustainable culture for a better future. This study aims to examine sustainability education by using content analysis.

Based on the results of the abovementioned studies on sustainability and our paper’s aim, less than 10% of the registered research within the Web of Science Core Collection addresses sustainability education. Based on criteria such as publication years (after the adoption of the SDGs): 2015–2023; document types: Article or Proceeding Paper or Book Chapters; Web of Science Categories: Education, Educational Research, Education Scientific Disciplines, Public Administration, Education Special, Development Studies, Psychology Educational, Green Sustainable Science Technology the first 3000 relevant articles were elaborated by less than 100 authors. The author’s bibliometric network is built into 7 clusters based on the association strength, with an established attraction parameter of 2, repulsion of 1, and a minimum and merged cluster size of 1 (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Analysis of the scientific landscape of sustainability education within the web of science Core collection. Source: Author’s analysis with the VOSviewer software. (available at https://www.vosviewer.com/).

Niedlich et al. [4] emphasised the theoretical framework of elite education through the role of selection mechanisms, social origin and achievement in shaping the systems. The authors conclude that the two cultural orientations are organisational learning and holistic. Thus, the HESs’ approaches to sustainability governance are interpreted as expressions of their organisational culture. Members of a new upper-middle class have sought to steer education systems towards more exclusionary practices, creating clear-cut signs of vertical difference [5]. Since 1980, neoliberal discourse has strived to quantify knowledge in rankings, intensifying competition between education institutions [6]. The competitiveness of global markets on education accentuates the urgency for adaptation for sustainable development. Even though expanding global markets has led to a growing awareness of the interconnected education systems worldwide, an educated global elite on sustainability did not rise in the last nine years — four promotions of graduates of master studies.

3. Research methodological framework

To evaluate civil servants’ readiness and explore the incorporation of SDG-related content in academic programmes, we started from the assumption that to obtain good results for a sustainable future, we should invest more in sustainability education. Education is a significant factor when discussing future generations because they will always start from a school bench. Moreover, how can we discuss the future without being aware of the impact of present activities on the future? The primary idea around which we built the entire study is that future generations will be educated today with actual knowledge. For this, we must invest more in exploring significant sustainability concepts and increasing the state and regional or international organisations’ awareness of their role in sustainability governance.

We considered bibliometric data analysis the best tool for evaluating the performance and impact of researchers, journals and institutions.

As a research tool for our large quantitative study (3000 entities from Web of Science Core Collection), we considered appropriate VOSViewer software, which uses van Eck and Waltman’s visualisation of similarities algorithm and displays the relationship between topics by placing direct and indirect connections among them on the same map. In addition to the literature review, we constructed and visualised bibliometric networks with VOSviewer. The networks include coupling among authors whose significant concerns are education and sustainability. Web of Science is one of the two most frequently used sources of bibliometrics data, and we used it as the base for collecting our research data. The refined terms used for each data collection are presented every time the results of the visualisation of similarities are shown. For continuity of the research and correlation among obtained data, VOSviewer was also used to answer two central research questions, as it concerns the master programmes, namely: What do the European master programmes cover the key issues and in which country they appear more often among those 259 masters under evaluation.

Although VOSviewer was primarily intended to analyse bibliometric networks, we used it to create, visualise and explore network data maps on sustainability education concepts. We used the keywords co-occurrence map option based on text data for this. The number of clusters for each analysis was determined and mentioned based on a resolution parameter of 1. In visualising a bibliometric and concepts network, we preferred to use colours that better indicate the cluster to which a node has been assigned.

We aimed to provide a low-dimensional visualisation in which authors, universities and sustainability keywords are located so that the distance between any pair of them accurately reflects their similarity. Each link of the networks has a strength, represented by a positive numerical value, and the total link strength indicates the number of publications in which two authors, universities and keywords occurred together. To avoid one major topic that is always related to sustainability – environmental protection we refined the bibliometric research to topics related only to education.

The relational analysis of European master degrees developed by VOSviewer based on the relationships among concepts used in the description of 259 facilitated the determination of the master programme we elected to examine in the conceptual analysis. Thus, master studies in sustainable development from Utrecht (The Netherlands), Graz (Austria), Uppsala (Sweden) and Madrid (Italy) Universities were elected. Additionally, programmes with original concepts, such as Creative Sustainability at Aalto University (Helsinki, Finland) or Technology Governance and Sustainability at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech, Estonia), were also selected.

Moreover, content-conceptual analysis was the other research tool used to determine the presence of certain words, themes or concepts in a given qualitative data set (e.g., master programme description and diploma supplement [DS] content). Research content questions were defined for each European master programme, and, starting from them, the ones for the Romanian DS were distinguished. Among the research content questions, we can mention in which context sustainability appears in the description of the master programme, what is focused on the master, which are the relations established to environment and responsibility, and what the career path after graduation from such a master degree. The summarisation of information on the European master programmes and Romanian DS exposed our concerns about the lack of preoccupation with the public sector’s capacity to govern a sustainable future. Too often, sustainability is seen only as the responsibility of the private sector – business, but the governance, monitoring and evaluation of the public institutions is left behind, and the future advances without them. Public institutions are called to supervise the rule of law and human rights, even if they cannot educate human resources in a sustainability framework. Sustainability is not just about the environment anymore; it is about moving forward together to an intelligent, intergenerational, equitable and shared future.

4. Education on sustainability

Education, notably higher education, is critical in shaping attitudes towards sustainability. Past research has shown that experience, such as older age and higher education, relates to environmental concerns [7, 8] and climate change beliefs [9]. In the study of Kemper et al. [10], experience indicators, such as teaching a sustainability course, are associated with broader conceptualisations and a stronger passion for sustainability. Conversely, broader conceptualisations of sustainability (i.e., putting the needs of nature before those of humanity) were observed for younger academics and those with experience in teaching a sustainability course. Lastly, studies about sustainability and corporate social responsibility seem to point to a divide between European perspectives and the rest of the world [10]. Since 2015, especially in the last years, the European Union has been the most progressive region in adopting corporate social responsibility reporting and other social business practices. Prioritising sustainability is crucial for education at all levels to promote a sustainable future.

Authors such as Marcos-Sánchez, Ferrández and Morón [11] argue that to address the future’s complex sustainability challenges, students must develop competencies in systems thinking, interdisciplinary work, personal and inter-collaborative relationships, and tolerance to ambiguity and uncertainty. They propose a practical intervention using project-based learning and systems simulation to help students acquire these competencies. ‘The practical proposal promotes the development of expanded and comprehensive competencies in the classroom using tools that unify the curricular contents from a vision of the whole to face the complex challenges that must be solved in the future’ [11]. The authors explain that the project-based learning approach and systems simulation enable students to develop a holistic view of problems and enhance their capacity for systemic and sustainable design [11]. Students need to understand the interconnectedness of various sustainability factors and the importance of considering cultural and environmental factors, circular economy criteria, organisational culture, the environment and size of the company and the reduction of environmental impact in building projects. These areas encompass various social, economic and environmental dimensions and aim to address the most pressing challenges facing humanity and the planet. The need for universities to create learning environments that prepare students for sustainable development and contribute to responsible economic growth becomes increasingly necessary at state, regional and global levels.

Education highlights challenges and impediments that can hinder progress towards the SDGs. These challenges include hazards with global impact, conflict and instability, inflation and rising living costs. These factors can have adverse effects on various SDGs, such as poverty eradication (SDG 1), good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and climate action (SDG 13), among others. It is important to note that the specific SDGs at risk of moving in the wrong direction may vary depending on the country or region being considered and their specific circumstances and challenges.

An analysis of the master programmes presented on different online portals, such as the ones dedicated to present master studies or top universities, exposed the low number of these. A refined search on sustainable development programmes revealed that on the master studies portal were registered only 58¹ [12], while in top universities, there are 132 programmes² [13] on sustainable development. Based on the same search criteria, the only portal which provided higher results was the master portal, with 259 programmes³ [14] registered to sustainable development issues.

Based on VOSviewer text mining functionality, we exposed the co-occurrence networks of the main terms extracted from the first 3000 refined results of the Web of Science Core Collection (the total collection results was 26,646). Through thorough analysis, we found out if the master programmes are considering the literature concepts and reaching the same vision for future development. We designed three subsequent network maps for VOSviewer that emphasise the correlation between sustainability and education.

The analysis on the same parameters grouped the 128 items into 4 clusters, built on a minimum number of term occurrences established at 100 for each keyword used in the article title or abstract. The main concepts of each cluster are sustainability, education, student and course (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

Occurrence of concepts related to sustainability. Source: Author’s analysis with the VOSviewer software.

The concept of education and its importance are once more, as if needed, emphasised as part of sustainability. Knowledge, awareness, learning, performance and impact are there, even if they are less reckoned in the network (Figure 3). Even though education is one of the significant pillars of implementing sustainability, education on sustainability does not have the same level of networking and incidence as the other sustainability concepts (Figure 4). This low level of occurrence strengthens our idea that the future state’s capacity to promote SDGs and establish an effective, sustainable administration.

Figure 3.

The network of significant sustainability concepts. Source: Author’s analysis with the VOSviewer software.

Figure 4.

The network occurrence in sustainability education. Source: Author’s analysis with the VOSviewer software.

5. Sustainable development goals in European master’s degree programmes

The research also evaluates the other master’s degrees in which sustainability is one of the topics covered by the studied disciplines within them. Programmes on biodiversity, earth sciences, hydrological and soil sciences and even toxicology address topics under sustainability’s umbrella. The highest number of programmes about environmental protection have been created in the last few years; more than 900 are registered worldwide, and 361 are registered in Europe, almost 40% of the world. The high percentage of master’s degrees registered in Europe, 48.73%, confirms the preoccupation and importance of SDGs for our shared future on the continent. As it is strictly related to core sustainable development master programmes, we can observe that 64.75% of them are on the European continent (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

Analysis of master programmes in the world and Europe on sustainable issues. Source: Author’s analysis based on the results of the master portal.

As we already mentioned, as a research methodology, we worked on the relational analysis of the major keywords and universities in describing the master’s degrees in sustainable development. With a minimum number of occurrences of the term established at 4 out of 1890 terms, 178 meet the threshold, and for them, the default choice was to select 60% of the most relevant ones (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

Relational analysis of the European master programmes on sustainable development. Source: Author’s analysis with the VOSviewer software.

To better map the irrelevant information used in the masters’ descriptions, we ignored common words for such descriptions as ‘cities’, ‘master’, ‘programme’, ‘curricula’, and ‘course’.

The Horizon 2020 programme was the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme from 2014 to 2020. The successor programme, Horizon Europe, began in 2021. Horizon 2020 has significantly impacted the research and innovation landscape, and diverse participants, scientists and researchers working within HESs, research organisations and private-for-profit entities such as small and large businesses benefit from them. The programme launched over 1000 calls for proposals, attracting over 285,000 eligible project proposals. Even if close to 350,00 projects were funded, the success rate remained low at 12% [15].

An analysis of the information provided by the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, the European Union framework programme for research and innovation⁴ [15], discloses that over 1 million applications were submitted through those over 250,000 eligible proposals. For higher education institutions, 68.3 billion EUR were allocated through 35,426 grants. 35.6% of HES have the most significant applications after private for-profit entities (40.2%). Among them, the ones from Germany (108,127 total applications and 36,497 on HES), Spain (110,661 total applications and 26,164 HES), Italy (109,623 total applications and 34,125 HES) and the United Kingdom (100,607 total applications and 58,910) have the highest number of applications. Even with the high number of applications, we can easily observe that the HES did not perform at the same level as the total number of applications, except in the United Kingdom, where more than 50% are from HES. Also, HES provides a different view at EU28 on the percentage of investments in a country by organisation type. Denmark (59%), Estonia and Malta (48%), Ireland and Sweden (57%), the UK (69%) and the Netherlands (50%) take the first five places. The countries mentioned above also reached the highest number of qualitative applications (between 63,8% and 49,9%), to which we can add Austria and Belgium, with more than 60%.

Considering the results obtained by the relational analysis and HES’s Horizon access to EU funding, we selected only the master programmes from Italy, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Estonia. In this way, we have doubled the selection information on keywords and concerns about sustainability with the information on access to development funds.

Pure sustainable development master programmes developed within the University of Utrecht, Graz, Uppsala and Carlos III de Madrid were in-depth analysed based on the information provided on the universities’ or faculties’ websites. The master’s degrees that were found ‘innovative’ by putting together concepts such as creativity (Creative Sustainability, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland) or technology and governance (Technology Governance and Sustainability, Tallinn University of Technology - TalTech, Estonia) were also selected for this analysis.

The selections of masters do not mention the SDGs by number or title. However, many of the master’s programmes are aligned with broader sustainability themes. They could contribute to areas related to various SDGs, such as education for sustainable development, sustainable business practices, sustainable food systems and environmental engineering. Sustainability appears in their description in various contexts, including environmental, social, economic, sustainable development, sustainable business practices, sustainable agriculture and food systems, sustainable energy, sustainable transport, sustainable cities and urban development and sustainable consumption and production. We can conclude that the mentioned topics are somehow related to one or more SDGs, and among them, we can mention good health and well-being (SDG 3), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).

Content analysis of the six master’s degrees revealed that despite a common European interest in sustainable development, the curricula were structured on different aspects. None of them address the issue of the state’s capacity to build a sustainable future. Moreover, governance is rarely discussed in their curricula. The specific focus of each programme may vary, but they all share a common goal of promoting sustainable practices, developing sustainable solutions, and training students to become leaders of a sustainable tomorrow. Students in a master programme related to sustainability can study subjects such as sustainable development, environmental science and ecology, sustainable business and management, energy and resource management, sustainable urban planning and design, sustainable agriculture and food systems, environmental policy and governance, social and cultural dimensions of sustainability, climate change and adaptation, renewable energy and energy efficiency and sustainable resource management. The specific subjects offered may vary depending on the programme and university.

Even the master’s degrees do not explicitly mention specific sustainability-related activities. Based on the descriptions provided, some potential activities that students may engage in within these programmes include conducting research, analysing case studies and proposing solutions for societal issues, developing sustainable business models and strategies and examining environmental and social impacts in different areas such as tourism. 20 different areas were extracted from the 259 master’s descriptions and depend on the respective programmes’ curriculum and focus areas.

The most common topics covered by master programmes related to sustainability include sustainable development, climate change, environmental management, sustainable urban development, sustainable business and entrepreneurship, environmental science and engineering, conservation and biodiversity, circular economy, environmental policy and governance and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Almost all of the master programmes mentioned that they provide a career path in areas such as sustainability manager, sustainable business consultant, environmental analyst or consultant, corporate social responsibility (CSR) manager, sustainable development planner, environmental project manager, sustainability consultant, sustainable supply chain manager, renewable energy specialist, policy analyst, social entrepreneur, researcher/academic, sustainability analyst, nonprofit or NGO manager and finally government official. Even government officials appear in the range of careers, it is not connected with sustainability as all the others. All of the programmes, as they declared, offer the opportunity to gain a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and contribute to creating a more sustainable future.

As expected, the Technology Governance and Sustainability Master’s programme (Tallinn, Estonia) was designed to provide a future-oriented and interdisciplinary education, focusing on alternative perspectives on economics, development, technology, innovation, sustainability, governance and public policies. Students in this programme gain a deep understanding of technological changes and modern technologies as critical drivers of development and enablers of sustainable and human-centred development. Graduates of the programme can pursue careers in sustainability and innovation-centred public and international bodies (e.g., sustainable development officer), private firms and community-based organisations.

The Uppsala University programme focuses on interdisciplinarity, systems thinking and future orientation. It equips students with the knowledge and skills to tackle issues related to natural resource use, society and the environment, and energy, water and food.

Furthermore, the Aalto University programme on creative sustainability combines design, business, materials and chemical engineering. In a different and internationally better-anchored context, the University of Graz, in collaboration with partner universities in Utrecht, Leipzig, Venice and Hiroshima, offers a joint master’s degree in sustainable development that comprises subjects in corporate sustainability management, climate change and global development policy.

The studied programmes take a practical approach to learning, equipping students with the necessary skills and tools to address real-world sustainability challenges. Students are called to register for such an enterprising master’s programme through case studies, workshops and hands-on projects. Besides, developing skills in systems thinking provides a holistic and critical understanding of sustainability challenges and socio-ecological relations.

6. Romanian master programmes on the path to sustainability

The thematic-content analysis helped us identify themes, that is, patterns in the information comprised within the diploma requirements of the Romanian master programmes that address the issue of sustainability. From the results obtained within the content analysis (relational and conceptual) of the European programmes, we summarise and interpret the data from all 41 master’s programmes in the National Register of Qualification of the HESs⁵ [16]. Only two master’s programmes can be related to public administration by being related to the fields of study of political science and administration and management. All the others are developed in areas related to environmental, earth, or construction sciences.

The studied DS provided information about the qualification, including the name of the qualification, field of study, programme of study, name and status of the awarding institution, language of instruction/examination, level of qualification, official length of the programme of study, number of ECTS/SECT credits and access requirements. It also mentions the faculties and institutions administering the final examination and studies.

The documents use the term ‘sustainability’ in various contexts, including environmental management and sustainable development, environmental studies, archaeology and the environment, bio-economy, automotive engineering for sustainable mobility, regional development and the intersection of archaeology and sustainable development. They also emphasise the importance of sustainable practices, policies, and strategies in mobility, tourism, biotechnology, manufacturing, agriculture, environmental management and spatial planning.

Nevertheless, they include specific related terms such as ‘sustainable engineering’, ‘sustainable polygraphic system’, ‘basics of sustainable engineering’, ‘eco-responsible entrepreneurship’, ‘environmentally friendly printing materials’ and ‘integrated waste management systems’. Environmental management and sustainable development are the most mentioned topics in the study programme and the conferred title.

Because the DS states the total number of studied subjects, we also analysed how risks related to sustainability implementation are taken into account. The risk concept is used in various contexts, such as international investment strategies and policies, applied international economics, competitive structures and policies, environmental engineering and sustainable development, environmental management, risks and hazards in natural and anthropogenic environments and hazard maps and risk analysis. Risk is addressed in courses related to risk assessment, risk management, risk mitigation and the impact of risks on various aspects such as international investments, economic development, business strategies, environmental pollution, human health and rural areas. There is no relationship between public sector risks and state capacity risk to react in stressful situations like a pandemic.

In numerous contexts, the most commonly used concept in the documents is ‘environment’. It is linked with regional development, natural risk phenomena, ecotourism, sustainable development, GIS in ecotourism resources management, remote sensing, hydrographic resources, environmental policies and strategies, environmental pollution and protection, environmental science and ecological studies, sustainable practices and responsible management, environmental factors and risks, environmental management and planning, agricultural ecosystems and sustainable agriculture, polygraphic industry, geography and tourism, energy and power systems, industrial systems and materials industry, heritage and cultural preservation, bioresources and biotechnologies, soil fertility and protection, green chemistry and environmental technologies, water management and treatment, waste management and pollution control and computer-aided monitoring of environmental factors. They confirm that Romania follows the same pathway as the other European countries and relates more sustainability to the environment and less to governance. Thus, Romania, through the master’s degree programmes topics somehow reach one or more SDGs issues, for example, good health and well-being (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).

More than 90 key issues were identified, except the one on environmental management areas; none are shared among the programmes. Furthermore, the documents do not explicitly use the term ‘governance’. Even so, the programme focuses on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to manage environmental resources and promote sustainable development effectively. The subjects that are more often used in management or administration include project management, regional development administration, business administration, process improvement and professional training.

The career path offered after graduation with such a master’s degree is also according to the European trend and is allied to environmental engineering and management, focusing on areas such as pollution control, environmental protection and auditing/evaluating environmental management systems. The specific activities mentioned in the documents include conducting scientific research, developing and implementing environmental plans and policies, analysing and interpreting environmental data, providing consultancy in sustainable biotechnologies, designing computer-aided manufacturing systems, applying impact assessment methodologies, managing natural hazards and risks, conducting research and analysis in various fields and developing and implementing sustainable tourism products and services. These activities involve a range of tasks, such as research, analysis, planning, management, communication and problem-solving.

We used the same content lens to study the European and the Romanian master programmes refined based on the major concept of sustainability, and we proved that there is no difference in the specificity of these studies. Besides, with minor exceptions, none of them addresses the issues of the state’s capacity to implement SDGs and look beyond the environmental concept, namely to governance, responsibility and human rights. Sustainability education is, therefore, one of the significant fields that must be put on the HES agenda for the education of future generations.

7. Conclusion

The continuing interaction of European, global, and national systems needs more adaptive and faster mechanisms. Continuous changes in the external environment or parts of the system limit the performance of all organisations, either public or private. However, when discussing sustainability, we should not forget that the relationship is not with one specific organisation but with future generations. State and public administration capacity needs more support from HESs to envision a sustainable future. State capacity encompasses various dimensions: administrative capacity, institutional effectiveness, policy formulation and implementation, regulatory capacity and service delivery. The wide range of interventions of the state requires new programmes or disciplines within the public administration field of study to be created in the future. Changing a programme or creating a new one is not an easy task for the management of a higher education institution. However, without it, the possibility of reaching all 17 SDGs considerably decreases. State capacity refers to the ability of a state or government to effectively implement and enforce policies and deliver public services without jeopardising the SDG. To increase it more, we consider that more attention should be given to SDGs such as quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16) and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). European Union and the member states must have sufficient capacity to effectively govern and meet its citizens’ needs and expectations for a better inclusive future. It means that in the context of sustainable development, governments need to have the capacity to develop and enforce environmental policies and regulations, conduct environmental assessments, monitor and manage natural resources, promote sustainable practices and coordinate with various national and international stakeholders. Strong state capacity is essential for effective environmental governance, conservation efforts and sustainable development strategies. This chapter emphasises the importance of the United Nations’ (SDGs) in shaping the future, the need for systemic competencies to address sustainability issues, and the role of education in promoting sustainable development and responsible growth. It also emphasises the need for a holistic understanding of public and private in developing comprehensive competencies. It calls for universities to create learning spaces that enable students to tackle sustainable development challenges and contribute to responsible growth. The future generations of students must understand that sustainable development is beyond environmental protection, and without good governance, equity and equality, it will be difficult to reach. Universities must create educational contexts that enable their students to face sustainable development challenges and the global risks of a complex and dynamic world.