Advancing Evidence-Based Social Sustainability in Software Engineering: A Research Roadmap

TL;DR

This paper reviews and clarifies social sustainability in software engineering, proposing a comprehensive definition and a roadmap for its measurement and integration into development practices.

Contribution

It provides a narrative review, a clear conceptual framework, and a strategic roadmap for embedding social sustainability in software engineering.

Findings

Identified key aspects: social equity, well-being, community cohesion

Proposed a comprehensive definition of social sustainability

Outlined a research roadmap for measurement and integration

Abstract

Social sustainability in software development means creating and maintaining systems that promote pro-social values (e.g., human well-being, equity), both now and in the future. However, social sustainability lacks clear conceptual and methodological foundations, and often takes a back seat to speed and profit. This paper therefore reports a narrative review of existing definitions of social sustainability in software development and identifies key aspects of social sustainability including social equity, well-being, and community cohesion. Challenges around measuring and integrating social sustainability into practice are conceptually analyzed. The paper then proposes a comprehensive definition of social sustainability and outlines a roadmap for measuring and integrating social sustainability into software engineering processes.