Global Sustainable Development Governance - Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen

Sylvia studies the development of different types of international norms (particularly on sustainable development in general and on climate change and energy) and how they are able to exert influence and build legitimacy at different governance levels and in diverse socio-economic and political contexts. Sylvia analyses, for example: the role of broad participation to build legitimacy and indeed reflexivity of international norms; the role of accountability of international actors (including states and international organizations) when they seek to show responsiveness to the urgency of sustainable development challenges and how norms with diverse character (‘harder’ or ‘softer’ law) are equipped to govern change that is deal with, for example, changing science or economic context. Sylvia also has an interest more broadly in the role of knowledge, values and institutions (norms and organizations) in governance in a multilevel and multilayered governance context.