Translating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Interdependencies into Policy Advice

Abstract

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and their 169 targets, are interdependent and interlinked. The successful implementation of all SDGs will rely upon disentangling complex interactions between the goals and their targets. This implies that implementing the SDGs requires cross-sectoral processes to foster policy coherence. Over recent years, academic research has produced a number of different proposals for categorizing the SDGs, systematically mapping the linkages between them, and identifying the nature of their interdependencies. The aim of this review article is to provide ideas of how to move from generic appraisals of SDG interdependencies towards translating these interdependencies into policy action. To do so, the article first provides an overview of existing frameworks for the systematic conceptualization of the SDGs and the interlinkages and interdependencies between them. Secondly, the article critically discusses advantages and limitations of these frameworks, with a particular focus on methodological weaknesses, practical applicability to specific contexts, and utility for the development of policy strategies for coherent SDG planning and implementation. Based on this discussion, the article proposes a roadmap for how research on interdependencies can meaningfully provide orientation for policy action.

Towards understanding interactions between Sustainable Development Goals: the role of environment–human linkages

“…Two targets were selected as being of most relevance for Sweden, and the resulting 34 × 34 impact matrix showed that most interactions (96%) were positive or neutral. Such a matrix could provide useful information for national governments to identify targets and SDGs that offer opportunities and challenges (Breuer et al 2019). The only quantitative analysis of interactions within and between SDGs through time analysed correlations between time-series data for SDG indicators for each country (Pradhan et al 2017) to identify trade-offs (defined as significant negative Spearman's rank correlations) and synergies (positive correlations).…”

“…different-often unspecified-methods and/or stakeholders, starting with a different single goal, or different subsets of SDGs or targets), few-if any-consistent patterns in the number, or importance, of the interactions between SDGs are emerging globally. For a more in-depth review and critique of frameworks to assess interactions among SDGs, see Breuer et al (2019). Of all the frameworks of SDG interactions reviewed, Breuer et al (2019) concluded that the influence matrix, as implemented by Weitz et al (2018) for Sweden, can be "a useful starting point for national governments to rationalize targets and identify those that present particular challenges and opportunities in their specific national contexts".…”

The 2030 Agenda as Agenda Setting Event for Water Governance? Evidence from the Cuautla River Basin in Morelos and Mexico

“…This can likely be attributed to a lack of human and/or technical capacity at the bureaucratic working level of public institutions. The adoption of such approaches is time and labor-intensive and requires highly specialized skillsets [12]. Increasing investment for academic political consulting for SDG implementation could be a possible solution towards bridging this gap.…”

“…The 2016 VNR mainly informed about newly created institutions and process steps undertaken for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The 2018 VNR presented a thematic review of the goals under review at the 2018 HLPF ( SDGs 6,7,11,12,15) in the form of a text-based narrative review highlighting some few selected indicators (approach 2.2). An indicator-based assessment (baseline) was carried out in the context of the launch of the National Strategy for SDG implementation in 2018 (approach 2.5, see also step 1.4) SDG benchmarking (approach 2.6) can be understood as a transnational practice that goes beyond the jurisdictions of individual states.…”

A Novel Evaluation Approach of County-Level City Disaster Resilience and Urban Environmental Cleanliness Based on SDG11 and Deqing County’s Situation

“…Regular missing of data and estimates makes it more difficult to assess the indicators, meanwhile, many SDG targets cannot be properly translated into measurable indicators due to the conceptual complexity [31]. Based on the two reasons above, the empirically assess interlinkages between the SDGs in a comprehensive manner are not always available.…”