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

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27735v1
• Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:23:47 GMT
• Title: Advancing Evidence-Based Social Sustainability in Software Engineering: A Research Roadmap
• Abstract summary: Social sustainability in software development means creating and maintaining systems that promote pro-social values.<n>The paper proposes a comprehensive definition of social sustainability and outlines a roadmap for measuring and integrating social sustainability into software engineering processes.
• Score: 8.89414033080073
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• 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.

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