Beyond COVID-19: Applying “SDG logics” for resilient transformations

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a realistic approach to navigate societies through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the SDG agenda is not without flaws. Even before the pandemic, progress towards achieving the SDGs has been too slow. COVID-19 presents a stress test for the SDG approach. The SDG agenda provides three ‘logics’ that could help transform towards sustainable societies: (1) a governance logic that sets goals, adopts policies, and tracks progress to steer impacts; (2) a systems (nexus) logic that manages SDG interactions; and (3) a strategic logic that enables (micro-level) companies to develop strategies that impact (macro-level) policy goals. We discuss key hurdles that each of these SDG logics face. Transforming towards sustainable societies beyond COVID-19 requires that multinational enterprises and policymakers (better) apply these logics, and that they address operational challenges to overcome flaws in the present approach to the SDGs.

More and better investment now! How unlocking sustainable and digital investment flows can help achieve the SDGs

“…Firms have responded supportively to the global adoption of the SDGs (van Zanten & van Tulder, 2018 ), but there is an ‘intention-realization gap’ (van Tulder, 2018 ). These policies and measures are intended to help provide tools for the two-way institutional dynamics between policymakers and firms as “MNEs help form institutions that can not only govern, but also guide, their sustainable development activities” (van Zanten & van Tulder, 2020 : 4–5).…”

“…On the one hand, achieving the SDGs requires a systems approach, understanding how different reforms can impact each other and how the actions of myriad actors can be aligned and coordinated. This requires “the involvement of the whole society (state, market, civil society, knowledge institutes)” (van Zanten & van Tulder, 2020 : 2). Yet, there is confusion over what constitutes sustainable investment and, more importantly, over the policies and measures available for governments to attract, encourage, and stimulate such investment.…”

International business policymaking for a “wicked” world

“…According to the wicked problems (WPs) literature, most policy problems, like COVID-19, are wicked in nature (van Zanten & van Tulder, 2020 ). To address them effectively, policymakers and managers must go beyond “rational-scientific methods” (Eden & Wagstaff, 2021 , p. 3).…”

“…To address them effectively, policymakers and managers must go beyond “rational-scientific methods” (Eden & Wagstaff, 2021 , p. 3). They need collective “soft skills” to foster trust (Carney & Wellstead, 2021 ), leverage the power of communities (Glynn, 2021 ) and involve the whole of society (van Zanten & van Tulder, 2020 ). WPs are “that class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision-makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing” (Churchman, 1967 , p. B-141).…”

Going digital multinationals: Navigating economic and social imperatives in a post-pandemic world

“…Zhan ( 2021 ) predicts that 4IR would create a need for massive realignments of GVCs with possible investments in green and blue economies. Van Zanten and van Tulder ( 2020 : 457) argue that the SDGs provide “an annual US$12 trillion investment opportunity” for business. Could there be a window of opportunity where MNEs, in responding to their own economic imperatives, might also be induced to address the social imperative of the SDGs?…”