Understanding the Cost of Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

The economics of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: does sustainability make financial sense?

“…Thus, several organisations have been carrying out costing exercises regarding the implementation of the SDGs, as well as estimates of the global resources needed to achieve them. The results, however, hardly allow comparisons [ 9 ].…”

Responsible Lending Policy of Green Investments in the Energy Sector in Poland

“…They concern ideological assumptions, social benefits, and, above all, the economic rationality of green growth. The approach of SD has not developed its philosophical foundations [44], which causes constant turbulence in identifying its goals and a lack of responsibility for the economic and social costs within its implementation [60]. Social benefits are situated in an undefined future and relate to general environmental matter.…”

Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies

“…4 Infrastructure needs in EMDEs remain high and relate to transport, water and sanitation, power, and telecommunications. Achieving infrastructure-related Sustainable Development Goals in low-income and middle-income countries will require average yearly investment of 2 to 8 percent of GDP during 2015-30 Vorisek and Yu 2020). The contribution of capital accumulation to output growth has been higher for EMDEs than for advanced economies (chapter 1).…”

“…Meeting the infrastructure-related Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 will require additional investment spending between 2015 and 2030 of roughly 7 percent of GDP per year in SSA (excluding maintenance spending)-the highest of all EMDE regions . Stronger productivity growth-through both capital-deepening investment and improved TFP-is contingent on boosting the availability of electricity and improving access in a sustainable manner that strikes a balance between affordable provision for consumers, particularly the poor, and cost recovery for utilities (Blimpo and Cosgrove-Davies 2019;Vorisek and Yu 2020). In addition to closing infrastructure gaps, improvements to the resilience of existing infrastructure are needed to limit frequent disruptions, particularly in power, water and sanitation, transport, and telecommunications (World Bank 2019v).…”