Introduction: Green economy and sustainable development: Bringing back the social

Any transition to a sustainable and equitable green economy will require restructuring patterns of production, consumption and distribution and finding innovative development alternatives to achieve justice on a global scale. Social dimensions- including social and distributive policies, social relationships and institutions, and the ability of all groups to participate in or contest policy choices- will be critical in driving this transformation. However, these dimensions have consistently received least attention in the triad of issues that define sustainable development.