Analysis of national and local governance systems to achieve the sustainable development goals: case studies of Japan and Indonesia

Abstract

To achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), all countries' efforts are essential, and each country needs to recognize their level of achievement in terms of the SDGs, identify the goals and targets that require more effort, and build more effective and well-performed governance systems to accelerate their efforts toward achieving the SDGs. This study identifies different governance system structures for achieving the SDGs and the challenges they face in improving their performance using a new matrix tool to evaluate governance systems for the SDGs. We use Japan and Indonesia as case studies to provide perspectives from countries at different levels of economic development. The results show that the governance systems for the SDGs are structurally and functionally different in the two countries, which face different challenges. Japan has relatively well-structured "vision and objective setting", "research and assessment", and "strategy development", but faces challenges in relation to "implementation" and "monitoring, evaluation, and review", while Indonesia has relatively well-structured "research and assessment", "strategy development", and "monitoring, evaluation, and review." However, Indonesia faces challenges in relation to "vision and objective setting" and "implementation." We found that the differences in the governance systems for the SDGs have arisen in relation to three key elements: differences in the development of governance systems for the SDGs, differences in the lead ministries, and the existence or otherwise of a supportive legal framework. We argue that the proposed matrix tool is useful in identifying the structure of governance systems for the SDGs and the challenges that must be overcome to improve the performance of these systems. However, some analytical limitations must be overcome before the tool can be applied to other countries.

Four propositions on integrated sustainability: toward a theoretical framework to understand the environment, peace, and sustainability nexus

“…As our understanding of the interdependencies between social, environmental, and economic components has evolved over time, researchers and policy makers increasingly acknowledge the complex and multidimensional character of the sustainability agenda (Alkire and Santos 2010 , 2014 ; Mayer 2008 ). Often, different goals are pursued within different governance models varying according to legal frameworks, decision-making capacities, connectivity, and knowledge at national and local scales (Morita et al 2019 ).…”

Strategi Komunikasi Pembangunan Pemerintah Kabupaten Bojonegoro dalam Menerapkan Nawacita dan Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan

“…Sebagian pemerintah daerah telah menentukan target strategis untuk mencapai SDGs tergantung pada dukungan yang diberikan oleh pemerintah nasional dan stakeholder (Morita et al, 2019), namun banyak stakeholder yang tidak memiliki pengetahuan, dana, sumber infrastruktur sehingga menghambat proses pencapaian SDGs. Sebagian pemerintah daerah memiliki kekurangan kapasitas untuk melaksanakan implementasi, tetapi kerangka peraturan kuat ada melalui Peraturan Gubernur (Morita et al, 2019). Melalui peraturan gubernur atau peraturan bupati, beberapa daerah menunjukkan komitmennya dalam melaksanakan SDGs melalui pendekatan yang lebih spesifik dan disesuaikan dengan kondisi daerah.…”

“…Namun pendekatan tersebut masih kurang efektif karena Indonesia menghadapi tantangan terutama di level lokal. Nilai rendah dalam level lokal sebagian besar disebabkan oleh kurangnya sistem koordinasi yang melibatkan berbagai stakeholder dan tidak memadainya kapasitas, pengalaman, sumber dan data untuk menerapkan dan mengevaluasi penerapan SDGs (Morita et al, 2019).…”

The Nexus of Resident’s Participation and Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Malaysia

“…As shown in Table 1, Japan and Indonesia have started to localize the SDGs. However, both countries are facing challenges related to their local governance system [13]. Due to low participation from the local authorities and the absence of SDGs legal framework, Japan needs to intensify further SDGs "vision and objective setting," "strategy development," and "monitoring, evaluation, and review" in their local policy plans and established coordinated bodies featuring multiple stakeholders.…”