Transformative Social Innovation as a Guideline to Enhance the Sustainable Development Goals’ Framework

Abstract

To achieve the objectives of reversing ongoing social and environmental degradation, there is an urgent need to accelerate efforts towards more sustainable and regenerative socio-technical systems. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ (UN) ambitious 2030 Agenda still face significant challenges. This article explores the role of innovation in accelerating efforts, emphasizing its social and transformative aspects related to governance issues. The research method includes an initial analysis of UN reports on governance challenges. Then, some gaps related to operational aspects are identified in the SDGs’ framework, through a process-oriented view proposed by the authors. The research problem examined from this analysis is whether transformative social innovation (TSI) could help improve the operationalization of SDG indicators. A systematic literature review shows that there are no well-established guidelines to promote TSI in the SDGs’ framework. Based on the findings, this article suggests some targets and indicators linked to TSI to enhance the SDGs’ framework. This study has theoretical and practical implications for future research on leveraging the means of implementation of sustainable development policies.