The Sustainable Development Goals Regime: a Case-Study About Localization As Variable of Effectiveness Of
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The Sustainable Development Goals Regime: A case-study about localization as variable of effectiveness of SDG 5 (gender equality) in Denmark and the Netherlands Author: J. T. Langewen | Supervisor: Dr. R.J. Pistorius | Second Reader: Dr. M. Parvezi Amineh Master Thesis - January 2018 Graduate School of Social Sciences Political Science Track: International Relations 1 2 The Sustainable Development Goals Regime: A case-study about localization as variable of effectiveness of SDG 5 (gender equality) in Denmark and The Netherlands Master Thesis 26 January 2018 Author: J.T. Langewen (11255897) Faculty: Graduate School of Social Sciences Department: Political Science Track: International Relations Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Supervisor: Dr. R.J. Pistorius Faculty: Graduate School of Social Sciences Department: Political Science Email: [email protected] Second Reader: Dr. M. Parvezi Amineh Faculty: Graduate School of Social Sciences Department: Political Science Email: [email protected] Source cover image: UN, 2016 3 4 Acknowledgement During my internship at the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations in New York (February 2017-July 2017) I supported the policy officer working, amongst other things, on the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. My interest was triggered and as such I wanted to broaden my knowledge in this area. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisor Dr. R. J. Pistorius for helping me transfer my thinking into more academic and theoretical reasoning during the course of this research project. Next, I would like to thank the second reader of my thesis, Dr. M. Parvezi Amineh. Additionally, while writing my thesis, I had the chance to do an internship at C-Change, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise, with a mission to trigger and equip all sectors, most importantly businesses, investors and governments, to make a difference and contribute to the SDGs. I would like to thank my C-Change colleagues, especially Carolien de Bruin, for her sharing her knowledge, as well as the opportunities she gave me to attend several meetings and conferences which acted as input for my thesis. Lastly I am thankful for my friends and parents with whom I could have reflective discussions as well as their abilities to provide me with the necessary distractions. Thank you, Joyce Langewen Amsterdam, 26 January 2018 5 Abstract In 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] were adopted by the United Nations. This thesis argues that those goals can be seen as a new regime in international regime theory. In international cooperation theory the effectiveness theme is the newest (O’Neill, 2004:163), therefore this thesis conducts a case-study in which effectiveness of the SDG Regime is analysed. The following research question is formulated: “Which governance strategy most effectively localizes the Sustainable Development Goals Regime and how is this reflected in the participation of stakeholders such as private sector, civil society, knowledge institutions, and subnational governments?”. This research question is based on the assumption that localization is an important variable to measure regime effectiveness. A literature study was conducted to support this hypothesis and support for the variable localization as determinant factor in SDG regime effectiveness was found in public policy literature (Mitchell, 2010) that identified three variables for effectiveness: output, outcome & impact. Outcome can be seen as a synonym of implementation, which can on the basis of Lim & Tsutsi (2012) their academic framework be identified as localization. Localization is important because it brings the SDGs back to the grassroots and as such can formulate relevant action. In a case study comparing Denmark and the Netherlands on the basis of SDG 5 – gender equality this localization variable is explored. On the basis of this thesis, the best governance strategy to most effectively localize the SDG Regime, is to formally adopt a national strategy by the government, that was crafted by a diverse range of stakeholders, like was done in Denmark. KEYWORDS Sustainable Development Goals, 2030 Agenda, Regime Effectiveness, Localization, Gender Equality, Implementation, Monitoring, Governance 6 Contents Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................................... 5 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 10 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Motive ......................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Epistemologies in International Regime Theory ......................................................................... 13 1.3 SDG Agenda ................................................................................................................................. 15 1.3.1 What is the SDG Agenda and how did it come into practice? ............................................. 15 1.3.2 How is the 2030 Agenda monitored? ................................................................................... 18 1.3.3 SDG 5: Gender equality ........................................................................................................ 19 1.4 Efficiency and Relevance of UN Agreements .............................................................................. 22 1.4.1 Societal relevance of UN agreements .................................................................................. 22 1.4.2 Scientific contribution .......................................................................................................... 23 1.5 Thesis Outline .............................................................................................................................. 23 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 25 2.1 Explanation of Research Question .............................................................................................. 25 2.2 Case-study Selection ................................................................................................................... 26 2.3 Unit of Analyses ........................................................................................................................... 27 2.4 Qualitative research .................................................................................................................... 27 2.4.1 Literature and document analyses ....................................................................................... 27 2.4.2 Meetings and conversations ................................................................................................ 28 2.5 Reliability & Validity .................................................................................................................... 29 3. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................................... 31 3.1 Environmental Regimes ............................................................................................................... 31 3.1.1 Debates in International Regime Theory.............................................................................. 31 3.1.2 What is an environmental regime and why can the SDGs be considered as one? .............. 33 3.1.3 Why and how are environmental regimes gaining importance? ......................................... 34 7 3.2 Regime Effectiveness ................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.1 What is regime effectiveness? ............................................................................................. 36 3.2.2 How can regime effectiveness be measured? ...................................................................... 37 3.2.3 How can one measure outcome and as such effectiveness of the SDG Regime? ................ 39 3.3 Localization .................................................................................................................................. 41 3.3.1 What role do stakeholders play in localization? .................................................................. 42 3.3.2 How can the SDG Regime effectively be localized? ............................................................. 43 3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 45 4. Localization of SDG 5 - gender equality & women empowerment ................................................... 46 4.1 Why does SDG 5 localization matters?........................................................................................ 46 4.2 How can the SDGs be monitored? .............................................................................................. 47 4.3 What can be said about international progress of SDG 5? ......................................................... 51 4.4 Conclusion