This document discusses how governance became included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what this means. Governance was not included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but was debated for inclusion in the post-2015 development agenda. While the UN High Level Panel proposed an ambitious goal on governance, the final SDG goal and targets focus more on developing effective, accountable institutions and promoting the rule of law. Measuring progress on governance remains challenging given limitations in global datasets and the political sensitivities around issues of governance.

1. How did governance get into the
SDGs and what does this mean?
Creating knowledge to end poverty

2. Prof. David Hulme
Global Development Institute
University of Manchester
http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/
http://www.effective-states.org/
http://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/

3. MDGs and governance
• Governance not allowed in MDG goals –
no UN Summit on it. Only the preamble…
as with human rights and social justice
• Despite OECD/IFI leadership of key parts
of late MDG process – IDGs & ‘final deal’
• Governance off the goal agenda – treat all
countries as peaceful…do not confuse
rich world publics with unpredictability

4. Post-2015 Agenda and
Governance
• In 2012 when post-2015 discussion was
permitted governance and even ‘good
governance’ achieved inclusion
• By 2015 ‘governance’ was removed
(except for ‘global governance’)
• Confusion about ‘institutions’ –
accountable and inclusive or STRONG?
• National positions…complicated
negotiations…and UN processes

5. The UN High Level Panel’s Illustrative Goal for Governance
Goal 10: Ensure Good Governance and Effective Institutions
a) Provide free and universal legal identity, such as birth registrations
b) Ensure that people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest
and access to independent media and information
c) Increase public participation in political processes and civic engagement
at all levels
d) Guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data
e) Reduce bribery and corruption and ensure officials can be held
accountable
Source: UN High Level Panel, United Nations (2013: 50)

6. Why was governance framed so
ambitiously by HLP?
• Conversations and speculations
• ‘Illustrative’ so save battles for another day
• David Cameron and ‘golden thread’ – not
challenged or nor listening to empirics?
• Consequences of HLP gender balance –
lots of women with rights/gender equality
backgrounds…limited ‘politics as usual’

7. UN Open Working Group:
Goal 16 targets
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Targets:
•16.1 significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates
everywhere
•16.2 end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and
torture against children
•16.3 promote the rule of law at the national and international levels,
and ensure equal access to justice for all
•16.4 by 2030 significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows,
strengthen recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms
of organized crime

8. • 16.5 substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all its forms
• 16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at
all levels
• 16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative
decision-making at all levels
• 16.8 broaden and strengthen the participation of developing
countries in the institutions of global governance
• 16.9 by 2030 provide legal identity for all including birth registration
• 16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental
freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international
agreements
• 16.a strengthen relevant national institutions, including through
international cooperation, for building capacities at all levels, in
particular in developing countries, for preventing violence and
combating terrorism and crime
• 16.b promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for
sustainable development

9. SDGs:
Goal 16 targets
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Targets:
•16.1 Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates
everywhere
•16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence
against and torture of children
•16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels
and ensure equal access to justice for all
•16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows,
strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all
forms of organized crime

10. • 16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
• 16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at
all levels
• 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative
decision-making at all levels
• 16.8 Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing
countries in the institutions of global governance
• 16.9 By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth
registration
• 16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental
freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international
agreements
• 16.a Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through
international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in
particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat
terrorism and crime
• 16.b Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for
sustainable development

11. SDGs – Goal 16 indicators
• UN Statistical Commission leading
process to finalize the indicators
• Goal 10 (inequality) and goal 16
(governance) are the ‘headaches’
• Technically – lack of LDC coverage by
datasets (except WGI); significant
measurement error (Kaufmann); intrinsic
or instrumental justification…very
political…are D.C. goals legitimate?

12. Intrinsic or instrumental
justification
• Intrinsic – eg Goal 5 on Gender Equality.
For Goal 10 a focus on state legitimacy,
accountability, transparency, rule of law
• Instrumental – development outcomes.
Contested: contract enforcement,
protection of private property, state
capacity. Hulme et al ‘state capacity’ –
government’s ability to make and enforce
rules and deliver services

13. Goal 10 and the long term
• Focus on not taking short-term decisions
that undermine governance measures
• Looking for evolution of governance
statistics as specialist statistical field with
international standards
• Long-term, slow, boring, technically-
oriented process – how change happens!

14. Conclusions 1
• Indicators should set minimum global
standards for fixed dates and focus on
state capacity plus all countries pursue
improved measures on an annual basis.
• Two main tasks: (short-term) set credible
international targets. (Longer-term) design
and implement processes that routinize
governance measurement in all national
statistical offices.

15. Conclusion 2
• Short-term: existing indices are subject to short country
coverage, comparability and legitimacy issues and
methodological shortcomings. The interpretation of
changes in governance may therefore be challenged in
the future, technically and politically.
• Longer-term: develop governance measures that are
globally legitimate – UN or G77-type measures that form
basis for rich world/developing world compromise; help a
governance statistical sub-profession evolve.

16. Reference
• Hulme, D, Savoia, A and Sen, K,
‘Governance as a Global Development
Goal? Setting, Measuring and Monitoring
the Post 2015 Development Agenda’
Global Policy (2014)

17. Classification and properties of
governance measures

18. Governance quality time paths by
level of development

19. Approaches to setting governance
goals
• Percentage reductions/improvements in
outcomes
• Universal outcome achievement
• Absolute outcome achievement
• Process-based targets
• Minimum standard with continuous improvement
• National target-setting