Promoting Policy Coherence within the 2030 Agenda Framework: Externalities, Trade-Offs and Politics

Abstract

The promotion of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development is one of the 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda, and considered a key means of implementation. The 2030 Agenda, while noble and necessary to put humanity on a sustainable path, has vastly exacerbated the complexity and ambiguity of development policymaking. This article challenges two assumptions that are common in both policy discussions and associated scholarly debates: First, the technocratic belief that policy coherence is an authentically attainable objective; and second, whether efforts to improve the coherence within and across policies makes achieving the Sustainable Development Goals more likely. We unpack the conventional ‘win-win’ understanding of the policy coherence concept to illustrate that fundamentally incompatible political interests continue to shape global development, and that these cannot be managed away. We argue that heuristic, problem-driven frameworks are needed to promote coherence in settings where these fundamental inconsistencies are likely to persist. Instead of mapping synergies ex-ante, future research and policy debates should focus on navigating political trade-offs and hierarchies while confronting the longer-term goal conflicts that reproduce unsustainable policy choices.

Scientific evidence on the political impact of the Sustainable Development Goals

“…Others argue, however, that inherent trade-offs in the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs are too often neglected in academic research and require more attention (for example, ref. 42 ). Overall, the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs are expected to provide guidance and resolve normative conflicts, institutional fragmentation and policy complexity.…”

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

“…Some theoretical contributions (Nilsson et al, 2012; Nilsson & Weitz, 2019), highlight that policy coherence is a complex concept that needs to be contextualized and unpacked into the sequence and types of actors' interactions at the different stages of policymaking across sectors and levels of governance. Recently, scholars also warn about a technocratic “presumption” of PC attainability, and suggest attention should shift considering the political context, that is, priorities selection, negotiation between conflictual interests, and assessment of unavoidable trade‐offs (Brand et al, 2021).…”

The Sustainable Development Goals as a Transformative Force?

“…Some studies suggest that synergies among goals can be achieved by designing policies in a holistic way (e.g., Nilsson, Griggs and Visbeck 2016). Others argue, however, that inherent trade-offs in the 2030 Agenda and the goals are too often neglected in academic research and require more attention (Brand, Furness and Keijzer 2021). Overall, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals are expected to provide guidance and resolve normative conflicts, institutional fragmentation and policy complexity.…”