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Open research questions in Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy

144 gap statements mined from Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,966 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Drawing from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and theories of epistemic injustice, I analyze how quantitative devices (QDs) like the EPI reinforce global hierarchies by excluding or subsuming territories with limited data infrastructure or contested sovereignty.

    Challenging epistemic injustices in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index: an engagement · 2025 · DOI

  • However, a comprehensive and authoritative sustainable development goal (SDG) indicator framework is currently lacking at the city level.

    Toward Sustainable Urban Development: Identifying Principal SDG Indicators for Chinese Cities · 2025 · DOI

  • The need to achieve ecological balance, humanize the relationship between humans and nature, and respect nature and its laws.

    SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EQUITY · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the link between social equity and sustainable development. The need to explore the historical evolution of equity from antiquity to modern philosophical thought.

    SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EQUITY · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate the implementation of sustainability strategies in other industries. Future research should examine the impact of sustainability practices on business performance. Future research should develop more integrated approaches to sustainability.

    Sostenibilidad en la industria de la moda y el retail: enfoques estratégicos y tendencias · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the implementation of sustainability strategies in large companies. There is a need for more integrated approaches to sustainability. The study highlights the gap in sustainability practices in the fashion industry.

    Sostenibilidad en la industria de la moda y el retail: enfoques estratégicos y tendencias · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on developing more accurate and reliable methods for reporting SDG indicators in conflict-affected areas. Further studies should investigate the impact of conflict on SDG progress and the effectiveness of humanitarian responses.

    Analyzing gaps between development indicators and on the ground realities in Myanmar based on the 2025 sustainable development report · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap between SDG indicator reporting and lived realities in conflict-affected areas. The study identifies a need for more nuanced and context-specific approaches to measuring SDG progress.

    Analyzing gaps between development indicators and on the ground realities in Myanmar based on the 2025 sustainable development report · 2026 · DOI

  • Recommendations for future research include encouraging regional sustainable companies and goods, promoting legislative changes, and more government backing for renewable energy projects.

    THE ROLE OF GREEN ECONOMY IN MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY UNDER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS · 2026 · DOI

  • The study addressed the gap in integrating ICT interaction with green growth and green innovation.

    THE ROLE OF GREEN ECONOMY IN MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY UNDER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS · 2026 · DOI

  • The research aims to address this gap by exploring the impact of religious, linguistic, and cultural factors on achieving the SDGs.

    Recognition of the Influence of Sociocultural Factors on the Level of Sustainable Development of Countries · 2026 · DOI

  • The study aims to provide policy suggestions for achieving sustainable development, which is a gap in prior research.

    Do Macroeconomic, Financial and Technological Drivers Improve Sustainable Development in G10 Countries? · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a limited number of studies enabling a comparative assessment of SME sector maturity from an international perspective. Existing research often focuses on qualitative analyses or case studies. The study aims to fill this gap by assessing the maturity of Poland's SME sector for sustainable development.

    An Assessment of the Maturity of Poland’s SME Sector for Sustainable Development in Comparison With Other European Union Member States · 2026 · DOI

  • The study aims to address this gap by examining the moderating role of governance quality.

    Unlocking the Potential of Public Spending on Sustainable Development: The Moderating Role of Governance Quality · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a lack of statistical data on the application of green technologies in the tourism sector in Azerbaijan. The paper notes that there is a need for the development of a normative-legal framework and the creation of a green investment fund for the transition to sustainable tourism.

    AZƏRBAYCANDA DAYANIQLI TURİZM VƏ YAŞIL TEXNOLOGİYALARIN TƏTBİQİ: İNKİŞAF PERSPEKTİVLƏRİ VƏ ÇAĞIRIŞLAR · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of adopting a narrow focus on financial results and resource efficiency. The study highlights the need to consider social and environmental dimensions in addition to financial performance.

    Integrated reporting: a modern approach to assessing economic, social, and environmental performance · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes the lack of a conceptual mechanism for the influence of environmental innovations on socio-economic processes.

    ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATIONS IN THE SYSTEM OF INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE NATIONAL DIMENSION · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research may address this limitation by employing empirical methodologies and performance-based evaluations. Second, future research may focus on specific industries in order to explore how sustainability integration differs across business contexts.

    INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO STRATEGY FORMULATION: A REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need to consider social reproductive work and gender equality in achieving sustainable economic growth.

    The Mechanisms That Will Ensure Development and Sustainable Economies in Developing Countries · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite decades of attempts to develop alternative metrics and indicators, progress has been incremental and incomplete.

    In Search of Sustainable Economy Indicators: A Comparative Analysis between the Sustainable Development Goals Index and the Green Growth Index · 2024 · DOI

  • Prior work has focused on the theoretical and descriptive aspects of integrated reporting.

    Integrated reporting: a modern approach to assessing economic, social, and environmental performance · 2026 · DOI

  • A critical gap between concepts of sustainable development and reality. The gap between the concepts of ecological footprint and biocapacity.

    Unsustainable Progress: Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Trends in G20 Countries (1994–2024) · 2026 · DOI

  • Integrating sustainable development into market activities. Improving strategic orientation and investment in sustainable development. Addressing the gap between Polish SMEs and EU leaders in sustainable development.

    An Assessment of the Maturity of Poland’s SME Sector for Sustainable Development in Comparison With Other European Union Member States · 2026 · DOI

  • The development of more sophisticated indicators of human flourishing. The application of the Balanced Economic Dashboard in different societies. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the Balanced Economic Dashboard in measuring economic success.

    Beyond GDP: A Balanced Economic Dashboard for Human Flourishing · 2026 · DOI

  • The distorting role of the price mechanism in the presence of negative externalities - The lack of an explicit temporal dimension in traditional economic analysis - The need to balance economic, social, and ecological…

    Sustainability That Lasts: Leveraging Hierarchical Value Through Integral Sustainability Performance · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of understanding of the link between social equity and sustainable development (“SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EQUITY”, 2026); (2) Future research should investigate the implementation of sustainability strategies in other industries (“Sostenibilidad en la industria de la moda y el retail: enfoques estratégicos y…”, 2026); (3) Future research should focus on developing more accurate and reliable methods for reporting SDG indicators in conflict-affected areas (“Analyzing gaps between development indicators and on the ground realities in…”, 2026); (4) There is a limited number of studies enabling a comparative assessment of SME sector maturity from an international perspective (“An Assessment of the Maturity of Poland’s SME Sector for Sustainable…”, 2026); (5) The paper identifies a lack of statistical data on the application of green technologies in the tourism sector in Azerbaijan (“AZƏRBAYCANDA DAYANIQLI TURİZM VƏ YAŞIL TEXNOLOGİYALARIN TƏTBİQİ: İNKİŞAF…”, 2026). 144 gap statements have been mined from Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,966 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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