Towards Integration at Last? The Sustainable Development Goals as a Network of Targets

TLDR

The 2014 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replace the MDGs for 2015–2030 and are structured as a network of interlinked targets that connect multiple goals. The study applies network analysis to assess the connectivity of thematic areas within the SDGs. The authors employ network analysis methods to map and evaluate interconnections among SDG thematic areas. The analysis reveals that while some SDG thematic areas are strongly connected, other parts of the network are weakly linked, and overall the SDGs form a more integrated system than the MDGs, yet many cross‑goal links documented in biophysical, economic, and social dimensions are not explicitly reflected, indicating that policy integration will require studies at appropriate scales. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Abstract

Abstract In 2014, United Nations member states proposed a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as reference goals for the international development community for the period 2015–2030. The proposed goals and targets can be seen as a network, in which links among goals exist through targets that refer to multiple goals. Using network analysis techniques, we show that some thematic areas covered by the SDGs are well connected with one another. Other parts of the network have weaker connections with the rest of the system. The SDGs as a whole are a more integrated system than the MDGs were, which may facilitate policy integration across sectors. However, many of the links among goals that have been documented in biophysical, economic and social dimensions are not explicitly reflected in the SDGs. Beyond the added visibility that the SDGs provide to links among thematic areas, attempts at policy integration across various areas will have to be based on studies of the biophysical, social and economic systems at appropriate scales. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment