Guidelines for Operationalizing Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) as a Methodology for the Design and Implementation of Sustainable Development Strategies

Abstract

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.

How scholars break down “policy coherence”: The impact of sustainable development global agendas on academic literature

“…Answering the research question, the PC literature contributes both to addressing the growing complexity and stressing the context‐related nature of policymaking. Also including the great variety of actors' interactions in across‐sectoral political domains along the policy cycle (Koff et al, 2020). Furthermore, as it emphasizes the adequate consistency and compatibility of goals, instruments, and implementation, PC literature raises the question of the effectiveness of cross‐sectoral policies and the feasibility of transboundary governance in complex policy domains.…”

“…Policy outcomes and impact evaluation have only recently become relevant topics in empirical studies embracing operational approaches to PC devoted to the sustainable goals of the 2030 Agenda. In those studies, monitoring and reporting are essential components of the implementation process, and “impact assessment and evaluation are considered as the closing stage of the policy cycle” (Koff et al, 2020, p. 6; Nilsson & Weitz, 2019; Sandstrom et al, 2019; Weitz, et al, 2017; Zeigermann & Böcher, 2020).…”

“…Indeed, the question of PC has been investigated with reference to the following aspects: consistency between goals and outputs within one policy domain (May et al, 2006); policy strategy to pursue coherent goals using multiple but consistent policy instruments (Howlett & Rayner, 2007), compatibility of goals and instruments across substantive policy domains (Lenschow et al, 2018); interactions and interplays between different stages of the policy process (Huttunen et al, 2014; Nilsson et al, 2012). Moreover, PC is also referred to (in)coherence of various modes of managing the connection mechanisms along the implementation process (Jordan & Halpin, 2006; Koff et al, 2020).…”

Perpetuating Crises at the Source?: (Inter)Regionalism and Normative Incoherence for Sustainable Migration in Africa

“…are undermined by political interests or economic exchanges. Similarly, Koff, Challenger, and Portillo (2020) highlight PCD's institutional character which limits its normative impact due to an absence of avenues for citizen participation.…”

Addressing COVID through PCD: policy coherence for vulnerability in development and its relationship to the coronavirus pandemic

“…Koff, H., Challenger, A., Portillo, I. (2020) Guidelines for Operationalizing Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) as a Methodology for the Design and Implementation of Sustainable Development Strategies.…”