Sustainability: Going Beyond the Buzzword

"Often praised by donors but rarely defined, sustainability is a major challenge for both media and assistance organisations."

This literature review seeks to trace the social construct of sustainability in the context of media development and define what is to be sustained - at the level of the intervention (the process of change) or its outcome (the impact on the medium itself). In particular, the review examines the evolution of the concept of sustainability and the way it has been endorsed by the media, media action implementers, and donors over time. This focus is especially pertinent in light of the fact that funds dedicated to media assistance have increased and the fact that the digital revolution has thrown into question most of the foundations of the media industry with regard to production, distribution, and information usage. The review is intended for professionals involved in "media action", which the paper defines as "any intervention (inside or outside a given media system) that promotes either communication for social change (the use of media for development purposes) or media development (the targeted development of independent outlets)."

The research review forms part of a series of publications initiated by Forum Media and Development (fome) and the MEDAS 21 post-graduate programme on international media development assistance, and it is designed to inform practitioners and researchers about key debates, evidence, and emerging issues in international media development. The series seeks to provide concise analyses of current research, both academic and non-academic, and to discuss its practical relevance for international media assistance.

In his introduction to the paper, the author notes that sustainability has become the standard for all development projects and also a buzzword that is generally understood to imply the need to assess the likelihood that the effects of an intervention will continue after it is completed. Over time, other terms have also appeared, such as "resilience", "viability", and "attainability". Sometimes these other terms are nuances of sustainability, and sometimes they overlap with the construct, but most often "they reinforce a general impression of vagueness". The author makes the point that "Far from being an unambiguous obligation to which everyone agrees, sustainability is compelling precisely by virtue of its elasticity and multiple dimensions, at the intersection of what is lasting, resilient and desirable." These features are, in part, the reason that an exploration of the concept warrants investigation.

The paper offers insights gained from a review of both scientific and grey literature. The discussion of findings from scientific literature explores: the roots of the concept of sustainability; the use of the concept as desirable guiding principle for governments, and local and international organisations; and the challenges around assessing sustainability. It also unpacks the concept of "sustainable media action" found in scientific literature.

The review of grey literature explores how intercultural normative influences affect the concept of sustainability. This discussion includes an examination of the different notions of sustainability that were detected in documents published by organisations from different geographical and cultural areas, such as the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the World Association of Community Radio (AMARC), IREX, and DW Akademie. The objective of the analysis was to identify common elements and to compare the innovations of the selected organisations since the year 2000. The review also looks at the evolution of the concept in the media sector, noting how the study of sustainability was initially "overlooked and ignored" in the media sector and how it has developed from there to focus on the issue of revenue generation. Finally, it outlines some of the barriers to sustainability around media action discussed in the grey literature.

The following are some of the key findings as outlined in the abstract:

• Since gaining mainstream appeal in the 1990s, sustainability has become a key concept in the field of media action. Its proponents would like to make it an unquestionable imperative, while its objectors question its catch-all nature. There is no widely accepted definition of sustainability, but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) proposed a criterion that has since been used as a benchmark: "the extent to which the net benefits of the intervention continue, or are likely to continue". Some donors (e.g., Japan and the United Nations Development Programme) also focus on the related notion of "human security".
• Overquoted but still often neglected, sustainability is more of a process than an externally driven goal to be achieved. Whether an activity, outcome, or principle is sustainable can only be known afterwards, and what is assessed is a likelihood or probability, along with the capacity to mitigate risks, learn from mistakes, and adapt along the way.
• In the field of media action, scholars have explored a multitude of entry points in relation to sustainability. The influence of Gumucio Dagron's "community radio" model (where sustainability is financially, institutionally, and socially assessed) and a focus on the online media market are noticeable trends, even if their specifics are giving way to a more systemic approach. Nevertheless, there remain numerous blind spots - notably, the effects of corruption and the various interpretations of what the "future" refers to across different cultural backgrounds.
• For a long time, a very normative (and donor-centric) vision of sustainability tended to ignore local stakeholders, especially in advertising markets that are not yet considered sufficiently mature. However, as media action interventions increasingly focus on emerging markets, their methodology has evolved to favour loan funds or local subcontracts rather than to rely solely on North-South capacity building. In doing so, this approach comes closer to a vision of media action that combines external interventions and internal processes of change.
• Unsustainability is rarely questioned in humanitarian media projects, but it becomes critical when the emergency project becomes a long-term endeavour. The role of donors and their coordination plays a key role, especially since not all of them have a formal policy on media sustainability, and there are even fewer cases with a concerted strategy. This is concerning because over the past three decades, studies have shown that scattered, unrelated interventions have no effect or are even counterproductive.

The author offers the following conclusions for practitioners:

• (Real) participation is key. Public engagement and empowerment are two central elements in media action policymaking. All voices, including the most marginalised, must be heard throughout the process of change.
• Think holistically about sustainability from day one. Thinking holistically means considering the various systems, mechanisms, or contexts - the "ecologies" - in which stakeholders operate in a media action project, rather than concentrating on a single perspective.
• Never underestimate the likelihood of unsustainability. An unhealthy information environment, a change in management, or an unexpected serious crisis are among the structural and cyclical risk factors that can jeopardise the sustainability of a media initiative.
• Do not forget to assess the project after its completion. True ex-post evaluations (at least three years after the project has ended) are extremely rare in the media action sector.
• Think outside the box. A flexible and pragmatic approach to sustainability should make it possible to diversify intervention methodologies, adjust the associated funding mechanisms, and strengthen targeting of assistance.