IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v32y2024i4p3877-3889.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Policy integration through the Sustainable Development Goals? The case of the German Federal Government

Author

Listed:
  • Jana Birner
  • Basil Bornemann
  • Frank Biermann

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The launch of this comprehensive and inclusive set of global goals was expected to lead, among other things, to more integrative policymaking, which is widely seen as important for sustainability governance. In this article, we draw on a detailed empirical case study of the German government to analyze whether the launch of the SDGs has indeed strengthened policy integration and which mechanisms may account for this. With statistical methods and extensive network analysis, our analysis captures changes in horizontal, vertical, and sectoral policy integration between 2012 and 2019. In addition, we use semi‐structured interviews to explore institutional, leadership, and ideational integration mechanisms. The study shows that sectoral and horizontal policy integration has increased after 2015, but that the SDGs still have not changed the conditions for system‐wide policy integration. Our findings shed new light on the possibilities and limitations of integrative sustainability governance through global goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Jana Birner & Basil Bornemann & Frank Biermann, 2024. "Policy integration through the Sustainable Development Goals? The case of the German Federal Government," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 3877-3889, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:32:y:2024:i:4:p:3877-3889
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.2851
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2851
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.2851?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Basil Bornemann & Marius Christen, 2021. "A New Generation of Sustainability Governance: Potentials for 2030 Agenda Implementation in Swiss Cantons," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(1), pages 187-199.
    2. Harald Heinrichs & Norman Laws, 2014. "“Sustainability State” in the Making? Institutionalization of Sustainability in German Federal Policy Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Basil Bornemann & Marius Christen, 2021. "A New Generation of Sustainability Governance: Potentials for 2030 Agenda Implementation in Swiss Cantons," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(1), pages 187-199.
    4. Jaemin Song & Chang‐Ho Jang, 2023. "Unpacking the sustainable development goals (SDGs) interlinkages: A semantic network analysis of the SDGs targets," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 2784-2796, August.
    5. Helena Carrapico & André Barrinha, 2017. "The EU as a Coherent (Cyber)Security Actor?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(6), pages 1254-1272, November.
    6. Edgar Göll & Sie Thio, 2008. "Institutions for a sustainable development—experiences from EU-countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 69-88, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hafiz Syed Mohsin Abbas & Xiaodong Xu, 2024. "Multiethnic integration: A path toward achieving sustainable development from the global perspective," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5781-5796, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sabine Weiland & Thomas Hickmann & Markus Lederer & Jens Marquardt & Sandra Schwindenhammer, 2021. "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transformative Change through the Sustainable Development Goals?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(1), pages 90-95.
    2. Pilar Guaita‐Fernández & José María Martín Martín & Samuel Ribeiro Navarrete & Rosa Puertas, 2024. "Analysis of gender‐based violence in the context of the sustainable development goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 4946-4958, October.
    3. Paulino Martinez-Fernandez & Fernando deLlano-Paz & Anxo Calvo-Silvosa & Isabel Soares, 2018. "Pollutant versus non-pollutant generation technologies: a CML-analogous analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 199-212, December.
    4. Haris Alibašić, 2025. "Resilience in action: Kosovo's National Development Strategy to incorporate sustainable development goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 319-332, February.
    5. Tobias Liebetrau, 2024. "Problematising EU Cybersecurity: Exploring How the Single Market Functions as a Security Practice," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 705-724, May.
    6. Kristina Mensah & Christine Wieck & Bettina Rudloff, 2024. "Sustainable food consumption and Sustainable Development Goal 12: Conceptual challenges for monitoring and implementation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 1109-1119, February.
    7. Matthias Fischer, 2014. "Fit for the Future? A New Approach in the Debate about What Makes Healthcare Systems Really Sustainable," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Sarah Feron & Raúl R. Cordero, 2018. "Is Peru Prepared for Large-Scale Sustainable Rural Electrification?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Marc Dressler, 2024. "Meeting Market and Societal Ambitions with New Robust Grape Varietals: Sustainability, the Green Deal, and Wineries’ Resilience," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-24, November.
    10. Angelo Paletta & Eleonora Foschi & Genc Alimehmeti & Alessandra Bonoli, 2021. "A Step-by-Step Process towards an Evolutionary Policy Encouraging the Adoption of Sustainable Business Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, January.
    11. Hafiz Syed Mohsin Abbas & Xiaodong Xu, 2024. "Multiethnic integration: A path toward achieving sustainable development from the global perspective," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5781-5796, October.
    12. Martin Mende & David Glen Mick, 2024. "A commentary on transformative consumer research: Musings on its genesis, evolution, and opportunity for scientific specialization," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 14(3), pages 182-193, December.
    13. Joana Alicia Pantoja Lima & Mayke Feitosa Progênio & Carlos Eduardo Aguiar de Souza Costa & Diêgo Lima Crispim, 2024. "Sustainability assessment in cities in the eastern amazon," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2403-2416, June.
    14. Matthias Fischer, 2016. "Welfare with or without Growth? Potential Lessons from the German Healthcare System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-14, October.
    15. Marcelo Furlan & Pedro Augusto Bertucci Lima & Gilberto Dias Paião Junior & Enzo Barberio Mariano & Sara Margarida Moreno Pires, 2025. "Proposing a composite index and maturity model for urban sustainability in the Brazilian context: A machine learning and data envelopment analysis approach," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 251-269, February.
    16. Fu-Hsuan Chen & Hao-Ren Liu, 2021. "Evaluation of Sustainable Development in Six Transformation Fields of the Central Taiwan Science Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-14, April.
    17. Köhler, Jonathan Hugh & Hohmann, Claudia & Dütschke, Elizabeth, 2018. "Sustainability transitions in local communities: District heating, water systems and communal housing projects," Working Papers "Sustainability and Innovation" S11/2018, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    18. Sarah Feron & Harald Heinrichs & Raúl R. Cordero, 2016. "Are the Rural Electrification Efforts in the Ecuadorian Amazon Sustainable?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
    19. Harald Heinrichs, 2022. "Sustainable Statehood: Reflections on Critical (Pre-)Conditions, Requirements and Design Options," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    20. Chong‐Wen Chen, 2024. "Who wins and who loses in global SDGs rankings? Clarifying the influence of the North‐South divide and foreign direct investment on spillover effects," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2653-2665, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:32:y:2024:i:4:p:3877-3889. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.