Global governance by goal-setting: the novel approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals: An institutional approach to corporate engagement

“…Additionally, by starting with aspirations without defining concrete implementation methods, the SDGs are an opportunity for an institutional initiative centred on creative thinking that involves increasingly diverse actors (Stevens & Kanie, 2016). On this basis, Biermann et al (2017) argue that the SDGs amount to a distinct type of institution -termed ''global governance through goals'' -that introduces a unique and new way of steering global development efforts.…”

“…Goals are critical for orienting and socially mobilising multiple stakeholders' activities in a consistent manner towards a specific, concise, measurable, and new trajectory of sustainable development, while simultaneously putting peer pressure on agents regarding their progress made towards the goals (Sachs, 2015). The SDGs' bottomup approach that encourages the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders (Biermann et al, 2017) also helps mobilise businesses (Hajer et al, 2015;Schönherr, Findler, & Martinuzzi, 2017). Seen this way, the SDG framework, which importantly includes five principles to guide agents' effortsPeople, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnering (UN, 2015) -can be understood as applying normative institutional pressure to work towards the achievement of the SDGs.…”

“…Their voluntary nature, lack of sanctions, and the few formal mechanisms in place to ensure the achievement of the goals (Biermann, Kanie, & Kim, 2017;Bowen et al, 2017), allow for understanding the SDGs as ''soft'' international law (Persson, Weitz, & Nilsson, 2016). An important dimension of the SDG framework is, therefore, the liberty it offers to governments, as well as to other stakeholders, to decide which goals to act upon (Stevens & Kanie, 2016).…”

Shades of blue: what do competing interpretations of the Blue Economy mean for oceans governance?

“…There remain, however, many unanswered questions about the conceptual and practical applications of the emerging, and increasingly influential notion of a Blue Economy. Unravelling some of the competing claims and apparently incongruous interpretations of the concept is critical given the increasing prominence of the term in forums such as the OECD, United Nations Sustainable Development Forum and Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (Biermann, Kanie, & Kim, 2017;FAO, 2016;OECD, 2016). The Blue Economy is increasingly playing a central role in negotiations over the future use of the world's oceans, including the progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet it is unclear as to whether the negotiations are occurring in a common language, or with an adequate understanding of the implications of the competing ways the term is employed and enacted.…”

Social Sustainability and Redevelopment of Urban Villages in China: A Case Study of Guangzhou

“…On the other hand, when a country becomes more and more affluent in general, achieving sustainable goals in the process of urbanization also becomes an important new urban agenda for such emerging countries as China [7][8][9]. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) are not only important for maintaining a sustainable living environment for future generations; it has been well-documented that achieving some or all of the SDGs has important implications for the governance structure of an authority as well [10][11][12].…”