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Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is considered a pillar of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It aims to promote whole of government approaches to sustainable development. Despite its prominence in development cooperation discussions, many national development professionals or stakeholders have not heard of PCD, indicating that its effectiveness is significantly limited. This article contends that the impact of PCD has not been maximized because it has been presented as a political objective or a policy tool by multilateral organizations and their member states. Instead, the article argues that PCD should be implemented as a methodology that can be adopted by domestic government and non-governmental actors alike, in order to understand trade-offs and co-benefits within and between policy sectors, thus promoting a participative approach. I-GAMMA is a research project in Mexico that examines data-driven public policy in order to promote PCD. It is based on in-depth reviews of policy documents and interviews with development actors. It is committed to open data, evidence-based policymaking, and collaborative dialogue between academics, government officials, and representatives of civil society organizations in sustainable development discussions. In the results section of this article, the project proposes participative PCD as a methodology for policy analysis through which a plurality of actors can identify mechanisms that either reinforce or undermine sustainable development strategies. This section then applies the methodology to the governance of protected natural areas in Mexico. The discussion section and the conclusions highlight the relevance of this approach for participative policymaking in sustainable development.

ABSTRACT. The urgent need to revert the ecological and social equity crises of the current development model and realize the potential of sustainable development has led several disciplines to converge on the socioecosystem concept as the most appropriate theoretical framework for research and public policy. The socioecosystem approach recognizes that social systems are integrated with natural systems and seeks to adaptively comanage socioecosystem coevolution for the sustainable development of both systems. We hypothesize that incorporation of this approach into environmental policy in Mexico could help resolve many of the problems that currently undermine policy effectiveness. To find out to what extent policy professionals might concur with this hypothesis, and what the opportunities and obstacles to implementing socioecosystem-based policy might be, research was conducted to elicit the expert opinion of officials responsible for formulating and implementing environmental policy in Mexico. The principle opportunities consist in the fact that experts intuitively understand the socioecosystem approach, and that most perceive advantages in adopting it because its policy attributes can potentially help to resolve many of the factors they identify as limiting the success of current environmental policies. Obstacles to its adoption include institutional barriers and the vested interests that benefit from the status quo.

English Abstract: Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) has promoted sustainability through policy coordination, but to what extent does it respond to the needs of local communities? Scholars of PCSD have acknowledged how it has been considered as an end in itself rather than a means to achieve normative impact. A major limit of PCSD has been its institutionalized nature, as mechanisms for social participation have not been highlighted in implementation strategies. This article addresses this issue. It proposes “pull-push-match” as a methodology for the establishment of participative PCSD. The article, co-authored by a team of researchers and practitioners from Mexico, addresses PCSD in relation to Indigenous communities.Spanish Abstract: La Coherencia de Políticas para el Desarrollo Sostenible (CPDS) ha promovido la sostenibilidad mediante la coordinación de políticas, pero ¿en qué medida responde a las necesidades de las comunidades locales? Los estudiosos de la CPDS han reconocido que ésta se ha considerado un fin en sí misma más que un medio para lograr un impacto normativo. Uno de los principales límites del CPDS ha sido su carácter institucionalizado, ya que los mecanismos de participación social no se han destacado en las estrategias de implementación. Este artículo aborda esta cuestión. Propone el “pull-push-match” como metodología para establecer un CPDS participativo. El artículo, elaborado por un equipo de investigadores y profesionales de México, aborda la CPDS en relación con las comunidades indígenas.French Abstract: La cohérence des politiques de développement durable (CPDD) favorise la durabilité par la coordination des politiques, mais dans quelle mesure répond-elle aux besoins des communautés locales? Les chercheurs dans ce domaine ont montré que la CPDD est considérée comme une fin en soi plutôt que comme un moyen d’avoir un impact normatif. L’une des principales limites de la CPDD a été sa nature institutionnalisée, car les mécanismes de participation sociale n’ont pas été mis en évidence dans les stratégies de mise en oeuvre. Cet article aborde la question et propose la méthode “pull-push-match” pour l’établissement d’une CPDD participative. Il est co-écrit par une équipe de chercheurs et de praticiens au Mexique et traite de la CPDD en relation avec les communautés indigènes.