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The Power of Numbers: A Critical Review of Millennium Development Goal Targets for Human Development and Human Rights

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  • Sakiko Fukuda-Parr
  • Alicia Ely Yamin
  • Joshua Greenstein

Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were heralded as opening a new chapter in international development, and have led to the use of global goals and target-setting as a central instrument defining the international development agenda. Despite this increased importance, little is understood about how they influence policy priorities of key stakeholders, and their broader consequences. While quantification is the key strength of global goals, it also involves simplification, reification and abstraction, which have far-reaching implications for redefining priorities. This paper highlights the key findings and conclusions of the Power of Numbers Project, which undertook 11 case studies of the effects of selected MDG goals/targets, including both the empirical effects on policy priorities and normative effects on development discourses, and drew specifically on human rights principles and human development priorities. While the Project found that the effects varied considerably from one goal/target to another, all led to unintended consequences in diverting attention from other important objectives and reshaping development thinking. Many of the indicators were poorly selected and contributed to distorting effects. The Project concludes that target-setting is a valuable but a limited and blunt tool, and that the methodology for target-setting should be refined to include policy responsiveness in addition to data availability criteria.

Suggested Citation

  • Sakiko Fukuda-Parr & Alicia Ely Yamin & Joshua Greenstein, 2014. "The Power of Numbers: A Critical Review of Millennium Development Goal Targets for Human Development and Human Rights," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2-3), pages 105-117, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jhudca:v:15:y:2014:i:2-3:p:105-117
    DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2013.864622
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, 2012. "Should global goal setting continue, and how, in the post-2015 era?," Working Papers 117, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
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    3. Johannes M Waldmüller & Mandy Yap & Krushil Watene, 2022. "Remaking the Sustainable Development Goals: relational Indigenous epistemologies [Assessing national progress and priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Experience from Australia]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(4), pages 471-485.
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    9. Sanjay G. Reddy & Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven, 2015. "Global Development Goals: If At All, Why, When and How?," Working Papers 1523, New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.
    10. Adeline Nnenna Idike & Ikechukwu Ogeze Ukeje & Udu Ogbulu & Johnson Ngwuta Aloh & Victoria Ugochi Obasi & Kelechi Nwachukwu & Kenneth Osuebi & Ernest N. Ejem, 2021. "The Practice of Human Capital Development Process and Poverty Reduction: Consequences for Sustainable Development Goals in Ebonyi State, Nigeria," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 263-280, June.
    11. Susannah Fisher, 2023. "Opening up New Geographical Ontologies around Adapting to Climate Change," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 114(2), pages 79-85, April.
    12. Yamin, Alicia Ely & Bazile, Junior & Knight, Lucia & Molla, Mitike & Maistrellis, Emily & Leaning, Jennifer, 2015. "Tracing shadows: How gendered power relations shape the impacts of maternal death on living children in sub Saharan Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 143-150.
    13. Langthaler, Margarita, 2015. "Bildung und die Sustainable Development Goals: Zur Einschätzung des Bildungsziels in den SDGs," Briefing Papers 12, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    14. Nancy Y. Kim & Yoorim Bang & Eun Mee Kim, 2022. "Women’s Empowerment Without Power: Strategic v. Practical Interests in SDGs and the Voluntary National Reviews," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(3), pages 371-389, June.
    15. Bridget O'Laughlin & Jasmine Gideon & Fenella Porter, 2016. "Forum 2016," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(4), pages 782-797, July.
    16. Gita Sen & Avanti Mukherjee, 2014. "No Empowerment without Rights, No Rights without Politics: Gender-equality, MDGs and the post-2015 Development Agenda," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2-3), pages 188-202, July.
    17. Yelda Yucel, 2022. "Capabilities Indicators for Human Rights Cities in Turkey: A Gender-Specific Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(2), pages 495-522, January.
    18. Esther Kamau & Gillian MacNaughton, 2019. "The Impact of SDG 3 on Health Priorities in Kenya," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 35(4), pages 458-480, December.
    19. Alice Evans, 2018. "Amplifying accountability by benchmarking results at district and national levels," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(2), pages 221-240, March.
    20. Alexander E. Kentikelenis & Leonard Seabrooke, 2022. "Governing and Measuring Health Security: The Global Push for Pandemic Preparedness Indicators," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(4), pages 571-578, September.

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