scholarly journals Policy capacity and governance conditions for implementing sustainable development goals in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (b) ◽  
pp. 38-77
Author(s):  
Natália Massaco Koga ◽  
Fernando Filgueiras ◽  
Maricilene Isaira Baia do Nascimento ◽  
Natasha Borali ◽  
Victor Bastos

This article examines governance conditions for implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Brazil. The SDGs are a commitment (signed and adopted in September 2015 by 193 countries) to achieve 17 key milestones by 2030 for formulating and implementing public policies that promote economic, social, and environmental development. Yet the Goals’ multifaceted and imbricated nature poses expressive challenges. One argues that the SDGs provide a rich set of interconnected policies to address key aspects of the governance debate, such as the capacities in a complex policy-implementation context; the association between administrative and relational policy capacities; and the dynamics of governance tools. This investigation entails quanti-qualitative analysis based on data produced by semi-structured interviews and a survey with a random sample of the Brazilian federal bureaucracy, answered by 2,000 individuals. The main findings are that the SDGs require a governance strategy capable of building capacity for promoting collaboration among state and society, horizontal and vertical coordination, and data and information for developing analytical capabilities. In sum, SDGs require higher levels of capacities, leadership, and proper institutional design to reach the necessary levels of collaboration for producing coherent and integrated policies, so leadership materializes as the main critical condition for SDGs’ implementation in Brazil.

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 38-77
Author(s):  
Natália Massaco Koga ◽  
Fernando Filgueiras ◽  
Maricilene Isaira Baia do Nascimento ◽  
Natasha Borali ◽  
Victor Bastos

This article examines governance conditions for implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Brazil. The SDGs are a commitment (signed and adopted in September 2015 by 193 countries) to achieve 17 key milestones by 2030 for formulating and implementing public policies that promote economic, social, and environmental development. Yet the Goals’ multifaceted and imbricated nature poses expressive challenges. One argues that the SDGs provide a rich set of interconnected policies to address key aspects of the governance debate, such as the capacities in a complex policy-implementation context; the association between administrative and relational policy capacities; and the dynamics of governance tools. This investigation entails quanti-qualitative analysis based on data produced by semi-structured interviews and a survey with a random sample of the Brazilian federal bureaucracy, answered by 2,000 individuals. The main findings are that the SDGs require a governance strategy capable of building capacity for promoting collaboration among state and society, horizontal and vertical coordination, and data and information for developing analytical capabilities. In sum, SDGs require higher levels of capacities, leadership, and proper institutional design to reach the necessary levels of collaboration for producing coherent and integrated policies, so leadership materializes as the main critical condition for SDGs’ implementation in Brazil.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4247
Author(s):  
Elena Bulmer ◽  
Cristina del Prado-Higuera

The seventeenth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, Partnerships for the Goals, aims to strengthen the means of the implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. The successful implantation of the UN’s seventeenth Sustainable Development Goal will aid the execution and achievement of the other sixteen goals. This article explores the importance and viability of Sustainable Development Goal 17, using a case study based in Valencia, Spain. The study presents an illustrative stakeholder situation, where we see that there are conflicting interests among conservationists, fishermen, municipality representatives, and others. Data collection was done using desk-based research and semi-structured interviews. The interview process was performed between October 2018 and October 2019. In total, 21 different stakeholders were interviewed. For the data analyses, a stakeholder register, Power–Interest Matrices, and a stakeholder map were used, and, to complement the latter, narratives were developed. The different analyses showed that most project stakeholders supported the project, while there was really only one stakeholder, the fishermen themselves, who were reticent about participating. However, it was shown over time that, by developing a common vision with them, the fishermen came on board the project and collaborated with the scientists. Stakeholder engagement analyses are especially useful in the application of Sustainable Development Goals at the project level. Although this case study is specifically applicable to a marine conservation context, it may be extrapolated and applied to any other Sustainable Development Goals’ context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8872
Author(s):  
Aparajita Banerjee ◽  
Enda Murphy ◽  
Patrick Paul Walsh

The United Nations 2030 Agenda emphasizes the importance of multistakeholder partnerships for achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, Goal 17 includes a target for national governments to promote multistakeholder partnerships between state and non-state actors. In this paper, we explore how members of civil society organizations and the private sector perceive both the possibilities and challenges of multistakeholder partnerships evolving in Ireland for achieving the SDGs. The research uses data gathered during 2018 and includes documentary research, participant observations of stakeholder forums in Ireland and the United Nations, and semi-structured interviews to address related questions. The results demonstrate that numerous challenges exist for forming multistakeholder partnerships for the SDGs, including a fragmented understanding of the Goals. They also note previous examples of successful multistakeholder partnership models, the need for more leadership from government, and an overly goal-based focus on SDG implementation by organizations as major impediments to following a multistakeholder partnership approach in the country. These findings suggest that although Goal 17 identifies multistakeholder partnerships as essential for the SDGs, they are challenging to form and require concerted actions from all state and non-state actors for SDG implementation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4195
Author(s):  
Ching Ting Tany Kwee

Previous studies indicated that K-12 teachers generally felt reluctant to incorporate sustainable development in their teaching due to a lack of skills, knowledge and interest, particularly language teachers. This qualitative case study, grounded in the Social Cognitive Career Theory, aims to identify the significant factors influencing English teachers’ motivation of incorporating the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their teaching. Data were collected from multiple sources including semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. By examining how teachers’ self-efficacy develops in relation to outcome expectations and performance goals, the findings showed that teachers’ personal beliefs, attainment of teaching goals and supportive school management can positively influence their self-efficacy and boost their motivation in incorporating SDGs in their English teaching. Such findings can be useful for educators, school management, educational institutes, universities and policy-makers to develop strategies to facilitate teachers’ active roles in ESD by fostering greater collaboration across disciplines and providing relevant professional development and goal-relevant supports.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109821402098207
Author(s):  
John Atkinson ◽  
Florence Lasbennes ◽  
David Nabarro

We present this brief reflection on key aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implications of the worldwide focus on achieving the sustainable development goals as external observers of the evaluation endeavor around the world. We have conducted and participated in evaluations, but it is not our primary field of work and we are not engaged in the global community of evaluation specialists. However, we believe that the urgency of the challenges confronting the world today should inspire those influencing and shaping evaluation internationally to focus much more fiercely on the value of evaluation and its implications for leadership at all levels and in all fields of work. We propose that evaluation as practice should support and help inspire, value, and evaluate the type of leadership that the world needs now—dynamic and purposeful “living systems” leaders working toward large-scale, drastic change.


Author(s):  
A.T. Shilkina ◽  
◽  
I.V. Filippova ◽  

The key aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the quality of education are identified, formulated in the framework of the UN Conference «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development», which are the basis for ensuring an effective process of planning and development of educational programs; The importance of the design and development of curriculum oriented to students based on a problem-oriented approach is substantiated; The key advantages of the modular step-by-step structure of the curriculum are revealed, which allow you to select the appropriate level of complexity of tasks and not overload the classes.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria João Santos ◽  
Cristina Silva Bastos

Purpose Two years on from the launch of the United Nations 2030 agenda, this study aims to approach just how and why large Portuguese companies are incorporating the sustainable development goals (SDGs) into their strategies. This sets out a theoretical framework for priority levels of management and the key rationales and motivations towards the adoption of the SDGs by companies within the scope of identifying logical and mutual connections. Design/methodology/approach The proposed theoretical framework applied an empirical, qualitative study approach, deploying content analysis of the semi-structured interviews carried out. Findings The results convey how the responding companies are using the different management models identified for integrating the SDGs, with the strategic and operational facets of greatest relevance. There are various key reasons put forward in justification of this involvement, in particular highlighting the understanding of the 2030 agenda as an ethical and social contract followed by concerns over managing stakeholders. The results demonstrate that these main motivations influence the management level at which the SGDs undergo integration, yet they do not determine the type of integration. Research limitations/implications The analysis of a limited number of companies and the fact that the semi-structured interviews were made with a single representative, which correspondingly reflects how the responses received convey the understandings, visions, values and responsibilities of these interlocutors. Originality/value This provides one of the first studies contributing towards understanding how and why businesses are aligning with the SDGs. At the conceptual level, this proposes a theoretical framework for analysing the underlying logics and the levels of integration into business management and how both can be interconnected. In practical terms, this clarifies how business management strategies may leverage the integration of the 2030 agenda as a mechanism for implementing corporate sustainability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Albareda-Tiana ◽  
Salvador Vidal-Raméntol ◽  
Mónica Fernández-Morilla

Purpose The purpose of this case study is to explore the principles and practices of sustainable development (SD) in the university curriculum. Design/methodology/approach To explore the principles linked with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the learning and teaching practices in sustainability at the International University of Catalonia (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, UIC, in Catalan), an empirical study was carried out by using a mixed methodology for data collection. Indicators related to SDGs found in the University curriculum (quantitative analysis) were measured using Excel, combined with in-depth semi-structured interviews to the deans of different faculties (qualitative study), which were analysed using Atlas.ti. Findings Several visions, difficulties and challenges were identified in this mixed-method study around the concept of sustainability, which allowed the authors to describe and portray a specific starting position in relation to the SDGs at the UIC. Research limitations/implications The presence of dimensions linked to the SDGs in the University curriculum were analysed by means of a quantitative study. However, global competences related to education for sustainable development were not studied. Practical implications Special emphasis was given to the challenges and opportunities for training future graduates and the whole University community in SD. Originality/value This paper shows a methodological exploration of the principles related to the SDGs and the learning and teaching practices in sustainability in higher education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-336
Author(s):  
Raymond Maxwell Francis ◽  
Vikneswaran Nair

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how tourism investment, business and operations were aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Abaco Cays pre-Hurricane Dorian 2019 in The Bahamas. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes an exploratory qualitative approach using the Abaco Cays, The Bahamas as the geographical study area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face for data collection and transcribed using NVivo 12 plus. Critical discourse analysis was used to interpret interviewees’ spoken words in the broader social context of the Abaco Cays. Findings Results illustrate the extent of tourism alignment with the SDGs in communities, dependent on tourism for growth. Findings from tourism investment, business and operations data analysis provide insights on tourism and the SDGs from a local perspective. Research limitations/implications This research demonstrates how tourism aligns with the SDGs in one geographical area of The Bahamas. It also highlights discourses influencing tourism and the SDGs towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. Practical implications A practical implication of this paper is adopting a bottom-up approach for a comprehensive understanding of tourism alignment with the SDGs in the Abaco Cays. Originality/value This paper provides implementation guidelines for communities in the Abaco Cays, to align local sustainable tourism plans with the SDGs. It also provides a multidisciplinary approach for greater coherence of tourism with the SDGs from the community to the national level in the Bahamas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2053 (1) ◽  
pp. 012015
Author(s):  
Fazarizul Hashidi Muhamad Pauzi ◽  
Mohd Yusof Md Daud ◽  
Ahmad Yusri Mohamed

Abstract Transportation and technology innovation is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) elements, and it has been outlined in goal number nine. The high demand for LRT usage requires a large amount of electricity. It contributes to the increase in electricity costs that have to be borne by LRT operators, and it is one of the main contributors to the increase in LRT operating costs. Revenue from fares unable to offset the rising operating cost. Therefore, LRT operators need to explore ancillary revenue activities to cover LRT operating costs. This paper aims to identify the elements involved in generating ancillary income through technology-based businesses from fibre optic cable networks along LRT alignment for the LRT operation sustainability. This study adopted semi-structured interviews for data collection and thematic analysis to analyse the data collected to identify the elements involved in generating ancillary revenue. Eleven themes were identified from the thematic analysis using NVivo. The list of elements involved has been proposed in this study has the potential to be a driver in generating ancillary revenue for the sustainability of LRT operations and contribute to sustainable development in achieving one of the objectives outlined in the SDGs.


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