Enhancing Sustainable Development by Triple Value Adding to the Core Business of Government

Much of the debate on sustainable development is focused on improvements to production and development practices. However, government decision-making processes can have a significant influence over sustainable development outcomes. Many decision-making processes used to resolve sustainable development issues result in compromised or lowest-common-denominator outcomes. This article argues the need for a more diversified approach to sustainable development by using decision-making processes involving government projects and programs to add value to economic, social, and natural capital. The article introduces the concept of triple value adding to the core business activities of government. Triple value adding involves applying new approaches to improve the planning, designing, and packaging of public projects and service programs to increase their economic, environmental, and social capital multiplier effects and thereby achieve more sustainable development outcomes. This article suggests some practical measures to embed sustainability into the core business of public agencies.