Policy Coherence For Development Research Articles

Whose policy coherence counts? Assessing sustainable fisheries in Ghana and the European Union's engagement

AbstractMotivationPromoting coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) is a key means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, yet it has been overlooked as policy discussions have focused predominantly on the financing of the agenda. The literature and policy debates about PCSD largely focus on processes and on OECD countries, and they neglect their political and normative dimensions. This article complements recent literature on PCSD by elaborating and testing a relational perspective on the concept.PurposeTo address these issues, this article elaborates a relational perspective that responds to the misrepresentation of third countries as passive recipients of (in)coherent OECD policy preferences.Methods and approachThe analysis presented summarizes the literature on the related concepts of PCSD and Policy Coherence for Development (PCD). On this basis, the article articulates a relational perspective on policy coherence that complements other critical perspectives in the literature. Subsequently, it explores the potential and relevance of this relational perspective by analysing how the fisheries policy preferences of the European Union interact with those of Ghana.FindingsOverall, the analysis shows that a commitment to sustainable fisheries cannot be assumed for either the EU or Ghana. Furthermore, assessing the responsibilities of the EU and Ghana around sustainability and degrees of adherence is difficult due to the presence of other fishing nations and influences. In the context of the EU's ambitious policy framework, the continued overfishing in Ghanaian waters negatively affects the credibility and justification of its continued involvement. Policy dialogue between the EU and the Ghanaian government and accompanying EU technical assistance have supported changes to Ghanaian fisheries policies, but overfishing continues.Policy implicationsDiscussions on promoting PCSD should be supported by more empirical research into the extent and manner that policy preferences consider by policy‐makers to be coherent with the 2030 Agenda contribute to advancing the agenda in different country and regional contexts.

Why policy coherence in the European Union matters for global sustainability

AbstractThe global economy is producing unequal economic exchanges between countries, including illegitimate transfer of wealth from low‐income countries, which ultimately undermine efforts towards securing robust social welfare systems. This puts policies on trade and finance, corporate governance and circular economy at the centre of the global development puzzle. Policy coherence for development must be understood in the context of the tension between the overarching societal goal of achieving sustainability and the functioning of the global economy. In this article, we focus on the political and legal challenges this puzzle presents, using the case of European Union policies on business, finance and circular economy, which have global impacts. We see these as core areas of law and policy where advances are made but which need to be better positioned within an overarching aim of sustainability.

Development as non‐migration? Examining normative and policy coherence in EU external action on migration and development

SummaryMotivationWithin the efforts of the European Union (EU) to govern migration, the nexus between migration and development has moved centre stage. Analysing how the EU has approached the migration–development nexus in its foreign policy from the perspective of policy coherence for development (PCD) allows this study to examine how far the EU migration–development nexus is coherent at the policy and normative level.PurposeHow does the EU conceptualize PCD? To what extent does the EU's external action in the migration–development nexus strengthen or undermine its normative commitment to coherence for development?Methods and approachThis article develops a conceptual framework of overall coherence for development, which consists of: (a) policy coherence; and (b) normative coherence for development. Both aspects are analysed through a qualitative content analysis of 18 expert interviews and EU policy documents.FindingsThe analysis shows that the EU perceives PCD as a policy‐making tool and a technical mechanism to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, the EU's approach to the migration–development nexus is incoherent both at the policy and the normative levels. In its policies, much of the focus is on containment of migration to Europe. At the normative level, the EU proclaims a sedentary and place‐bound notion of development.Policy implicationsThe article contributes to the current debates on PCD in the EU and on the EU's external action in the migration–development nexus. In order to foster PCD, the EU should approach the migration–development nexus more holistically.

A normative power or fortress Europe? Normative policy coherence between the European Unionʼs development, migration, and foreign policies

SummaryMotivationThe article aims to bring together research on policy coherence for development (PCD) with normative theorizing and normative analysis.PurposeThe article presents a case study of normative coherence for development between the three policy areas of the European Union (EU): development, migration, and foreign policy. It shows that normative analysis can be fruitfully applied to answer the question of how coherently normative arguments are used over time and between different policy areas.Methods and approachThe article offers a comparative study of policy coherence between the three EU policies. Methodologically, it compares the normative logics used in the relevant EU policy documents.FindingsThe study finds that coherence between the three EU policies has increased since the European “migration crisis” in 2015–2016, but not necessarily sustainably: development policy has become an instrument of migration policy, and both are increasingly coherent with foreign and security policies. Along with these policy changes, the normative logics of argumentation for each policy area have become more uniform, both over time and between the policies. Furthermore, the normative principle of PCD has been replaced with a technical understanding of coherence.Policy implicationsThe findings support the hypothesis that for rules‐based (regional) co‐operation, such as the EU, it matters how the policies are argued. As a focal actor on the global development and migration agendas, EU policies have implications far beyond its borders.

Policy coherence across Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from Finland

AbstractMotivationAgenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) expand the development agenda. While all major development actors support policy coherence for development (PCD), analysis has been lacking on how this can be achieved as the development agenda expands. We discuss the relationship between SDGs and PCD through a comprehensive case study from Finland.PurposeTo examine the coherence of Finland’s foreign and development policy for achieving the SDGs, while leaving no one behind. Particular focus is given to policies related to the private sector’s role in development, and attention is also paid to ministries other than the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.Approach and methodsWe carried out interviews with policy‐makers and other stakeholders, and analysed relevant documents. We reviewed governmental high‐level policy statements, sectoral alignments, and development aid documents. We also reviewed the position papers that the Finnish Government had issued on European Union (EU) processes, particularly regarding development relating to the private sector.FindingsFinland has been uniquely positioned to advance PCD in its foreign policy, thanks to co‐ordination structures across government. Nonetheless, mainstreaming of the expanded development agenda has been largely limited to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and its development policy department. The breadth of the SDG agenda has enabled individual targets to be cherry‐picked, with less attention paid to advancing the Agenda 2030 as a whole and to implementing its Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle. Despite an institutional framework seemingly ideal for policy coherence, traditional sectoral divisions between development policy as a separate field and sustainability as an environmental issue, remain. Five factors in particular hindered policy coherence: (a) Finland’s position papers to the EU on taxes and migration all but ignored Agenda 2030 commitments; (b) the Finnish emphasis on the private sector in development narrowed the considerations of development to economic growth; (c) sustainability was seen as green technology, with scant regard to social sustainability; (d) private firms interpreted the SDGs to mean that environmental sustainability could address human rights‐related concerns with corporate social responsibility initiatives; and (e) cuts to staffing in the Finnish Government stymied innovative thinking and working across departmental boundaries.Policy ImplicationsFinland is generally seen as a front‐runner in mainstreaming development issues, which makes it an interesting case. We outline the key challenges that Finland has faced in tackling PCD, which should be relevant for other Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries as well. Many challenges related to PCD are political and organizational. As such, they are highly dependent on the particular institutional settings in each country. Our methodological approach could be replicated in other similar countries.

Addressing COVID through PCD: policy coherence for vulnerability in development and its relationship to the coronavirus pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to understand how coronavirus impacts relate to existing vulnerabilities in different world regions.Design/methodology/approachThe article utilizes quantitative analysis to examine regional variations in coronavirus risk assessment. It then qualitatively employs a policy coherence for development (PCD) approach to analyze how public policies contribute to or mitigate vulnerability, defined as the product of exposure to external shocks, institutional coping capabilities and risk associated with social divisions in societies.FindingsThe research presented below shows that significant regional variance exists in terms of coronavirus risk, based on statistical analysis of the INFORM COVID-19 Risk Report prepared by the European Commission. The PCD analysis highlights important relationships between public policy strategies and the construction of both underlying vulnerabilities and coronavirus impacts.Practical implicationsThe PCD approach presented here focuses on the reconciliation of trade-offs. It shows how policy interactions affect vulnerabilities and suggests that coherent policy strategies aimed at reducing vulnerabilities are necessary in order to adequately respond to the coronavirus pandemic.Originality/valueThis analysis frames vulnerability as a socially constructed condition and through implementation of a PCD approach, it indicates how policy strategies contribute to or mitigate vulnerabilities. In doing so, it intends to contribute conceptually to the literature on vulnerability by showing how policy incoherences contribute to the construction of this condition. Empirically, the originality of this article is its statistical analysis of regional variance of coronavirus risk and the qualitative analysis of policy strategies in representative cases and how they have affected vulnerabilities and coronavirus impacts.

From Millennium to Sustainable Development Goals: Evolving discourses and their reflection in policy coherence for development

The discourse of sustainable development is highly influential in global and national governance frameworks, though its meaning and operationalisation are context-dependent and have evolved over time. The transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflects the most recent evolution in this discourse. We analyse key differences in storylines between the MDGs and SDGs and develop an analytical framework to study these, focusing on the objectives of sustainable development, the means to reach those objectives, and the relations between developing and developed countries. We use this framework in quantitative and qualitative discourse analyses of the policy coherence for development (PCD) approach of the Netherlands. This shows that global discourses are closely reflected in national-level policy frameworks. During the MDG era, the key objective of sustainable development was poverty reduction to be reached through economic growth and participation in the global trade system. The SDGs aim for a broader set of objectives across the full spectrum of the economic, social and environmental dimensions. This is reflected in the Dutch PCD approach, first through a conceptualisation of environmental and social safeguards for trade and economic growth, and later with social and environmental sustainability as equally important objectives alongside poverty reduction. While the MDGs mainly focus on national averages and the poorest, the SDGs target the most marginalised and vulnerable groups with a focus on disaggregate data. In this respect, the Netherlands was ahead of its time; already in the early 2000s it acknowledged that “there is no question of “the” developing countries”. Related to this, the Dutch PCD approach also reflects the changed conceptualisation of the relations between developing and developed countries. This changed from aid to developing countries as reflected in the MDGs, toward partnerships with them, initially for the purpose of stimulating economic growth and trade, later also aimed at environmental sustainability. The article ends with a reflection on how our research findings contribute to debates around (the effectiveness of) governance through global goals, as well as to understanding the political nature of policy coherence for (sustainable) development.

Why serve soup with a fork?: How policy coherence for development can link environmental impact assessment with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development

• Domestic policy tools such as EIA are not always appropriate for SDG implementation. • Policy coherence for development (PCD) used as a methodology can link EIA to SDGs. • PCD can improve “normative effectiveness” of EIA. • Mexico is considered a representative case due to commitments to both SDGs and PCD. • The empirical study examines the proposed Caballo Blanco open-pit mine in Veracruz.

Guidelines for Operationalizing Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) as a Methodology for the Design and Implementation of Sustainable Development Strategies

Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is considered a pillar of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It aims to promote whole of government approaches to sustainable development. Despite its prominence in development cooperation discussions, many national development professionals or stakeholders have not heard of PCD, indicating that its effectiveness is significantly limited. This article contends that the impact of PCD has not been maximized because it has been presented as a political objective or a policy tool by multilateral organizations and their member states. Instead, the article argues that PCD should be implemented as a methodology that can be adopted by domestic government and non-governmental actors alike, in order to understand trade-offs and co-benefits within and between policy sectors, thus promoting a participative approach. I-GAMMA is a research project in Mexico that examines data-driven public policy in order to promote PCD. It is based on in-depth reviews of policy documents and interviews with development actors. It is committed to open data, evidence-based policymaking, and collaborative dialogue between academics, government officials, and representatives of civil society organizations in sustainable development discussions. In the results section of this article, the project proposes participative PCD as a methodology for policy analysis through which a plurality of actors can identify mechanisms that either reinforce or undermine sustainable development strategies. This section then applies the methodology to the governance of protected natural areas in Mexico. The discussion section and the conclusions highlight the relevance of this approach for participative policymaking in sustainable development.

Saving the baby while discarding the bathwater: the application of policy coherence for development analysis to payment for watershed services

One of the most debated tools for the implementation of sustainable development is “payment for ecosystem services”, of which “payment for watershed services” (PWS) is one of the most developed. While proponents argue that such payments provide market value to the services that ecosystems provide for development, opponents claim that this approach commodifies the environment and promotes inequalities. This article presents an analysis of PWS programs by applying methodologies based on policy coherence for development (PCD), defined as a policy tool aimed at eliminating incoherence within sustainable development strategies that undermine their effectiveness as well as between such strategies and other policy arenas, which are also considered harmful to sustainability. By employing a PCD methodology, the article aims to identify policy mechanisms that undermine PWS programs so that stakeholders can make adjustments, thus, metaphorically ensuring that “the baby” (PWS) is not discarded with “the bathwater” (policy incoherence for sustainable development).

SDGs and decentralizing water management for transformation: Normative policy coherence for water security in SADC river basin organizations

This paper engages in a normative analysis of water security, in view of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the call for transformation. It examines the role of river basin organizations (RBOs) and integrated water resources management (IWRM) to water governance, and the extent to which they are consistent with water security for development in Southern Africa. The paper uses Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) and addresses essential questions regarding the extent to which RBOs in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) insofar as concerns SDG 6 achieve water security for people at the grassroots. The theoretical contribution of the paper includes the comparative examination of normative PCD and water security structures at RBO level in Southern Africa, and the extent to which RBOs reflect IWRM principles. Empirically, the paper highlights regional water policies regarding harmonization and coordination in the respective riparian states of and the RBOs, in line with the SADC's developmental objectives. As RBOs seem to prefer conserving, developing and utilizing water resources over people, they would do well to shift their focus on to people by adopting normative PCD, if they are to witness transformation. This would also be consistent with regional goals, which seek to bring the transformation agenda to the ground.

An Agenda in-the-making: The Linking of Drugs and Development Discourses

The UNGASS process and the SDGs discussions renewed thinking on illicit drug economy and sustainable development linkages, and opened windows for enhanced policy coherence in that sense. Yet, the fragmentation of the drug policy arena and the complex SDGs task still question whether this will be the way negotiated forward. Drawing on concepts of policy entrepreneurship and idea diffusion, this paper takes stock of the recent dynamics through which the idea of drug and development policy coherence has developed and gained traction. Recognizing the role of knowledge in the construction of alternative policy ideas’ acceptability, this paper focuses on knowledge activities and existing platforms where a development-oriented framework for illicit drug-related challenges is promoted and defined. It asks whether the conditions are gathered for that idea to be translated into concrete categories of policy interventions beyond the UNGASS and SDGs moments of opportunity.

Korea’s Policy Coherence for Development: Implications of England and Netherlands Case Studies

Korea’s Policy Coherence for Development: Implications of England and Netherlands Case Studies

Policy coherence for development and migration: Analyzing US and EU policies through the lens of normative transformation

The European Union’s (EU) 2015–2016 “migration/asylum crisis” gave discussions over the relationships between migration, security and development renewed prominence in global affairs. In response to record migratory flows, the EU, like the United States (US), has implemented security responses to migration aimed at protecting territorial integrity. This article addresses the migration–security–development nexus through the lens of policy coherence for development (PCD). It compares EU and US migration policies within the framework of the “transformative development” associated with the Sustainable Development Goals. It contends that these donors have undermined transformative development through the regionalization of development aid, which has contributed to the securitization of both development and migration policies. Thus, the article contends that new mechanisms for change need to be identified. It introduces the notion of “normative coherence” and proposes a potential role for regional human rights courts in fostering migration-related PCD.Spanish abstract: La “crisis migratoria” de la Unión Europea (UE) del 2015–2016 arrojó discusiones sobre las relaciones entre migración, seguridad y desarrollo renovando su prominencia en los asuntos globales. La UE, como los Estados Unidos de América (EE.UU), ha implementado respuestas de seguridad a la migración dirigidas a proteger la integridad territorial. Este artículo se dirige al nexo entre migración, seguridad y desarrollo a través de la lente de la coherencia de políticas públicas para el desarrollo (CPD). Compara las políticas migratorias de UE y EE.UU dentro del marco del “desarrollo transformativo” asociado con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Sostiene que estos donantes han socavado el desarrollo transformativo mediante la regionalización de la ayuda al desarrollo, el cual ha contribuido a incorporar aspectos de seguridad. Así, el artículo sostiene que se requiere identificar nuevos mecanismos para el cambio. Se introduce la noción de “coherencia normativa” y propone el rol potencial de cortes regionales de derechos humanos para promover CPD relacionadas a la migración.French abstract: La crise migratoire 2015-2016 de l’Union Européenne (UE) a replacé les discussions en matière de migration, de sécurité et de développement dans une perspective globale renouvelée. En réponse aux flux sans précédent, l’UE tout comme les Etats-Unis (EU) ont développé des réponses sécuritaires, destinées à protéger leur intégrité territoriale. Cet article évoque la connexion entre la migration, la sécurité et le développement à travers l’optique de la cohérence des politiques publiques pour le développement (CPD). Il compare les politiques migratoires de l’UE et des EU à partir du cadre du « développement transformateur » associé aux ODD. Il révèle que ces donateurs ont saboté le développement transformateur à travers la régionalisation de l’aide au développement, ce qui a contribué à octroyer un impératif sécuritaire. Ainsi, l’article soutient que de nouveaux mécanismes doivent être identifiés. Il introduit la « cohérence normative » et propose un rôle potentiel pour les Cours régionales des droits humaines dans la perspective de promouvoir la CPD en matière de migration.

Living up to Policy Coherence for Development? The OECD's disciplines on tied aid financing

AbstractTied aid credits are a way for donors to look to boost the international competitiveness of domestic enterprises while simultaneously contributing to development in recipient countries. Though regulated through the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, tied aid credits claim a place among the instruments of development policy and are eligible as Official Development Assistance (ODA). This raises the question of whether the international regulatory framework is equipped to safeguard the presumed development goals. This article examines the internal coherence of the tied aid disciplines of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) with the development principles coined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Thereby, the extent to which the OECD lives up to its own promise of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is scrutinized.

Policy Coherence for Development at sub-state level: the case of the Basque Country

The debate on Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) has mostly been associated to States. However, the growing importance acquired by local and regional governments in promoting development and cooperation policies, and the need of a multilevel governance to meet the challenges of development, emphasize the interest of analysing the PCD from a wider perspective including the sub-state level. Considering these issues, this paper focuses on the study of the PCD in the Basque Country, based on a research study carried out about this subject. As a conclusion, relevant considerations that may be interesting to promote the analysis on PCD at sub-state level are pointed out.

The capacity of the Spanish Parliament to promote a Policy Coherence for Development approach to the policy making processes

The international community has approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a common roadmap to face the global challenges of poverty, inequity and the sustainable management of the planet’s natural resources. For this Agenda to succeed, all countries must adopt the Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) approach as the guiding and crosscutting principle of all domestic and foreign policies during the next 15 years. National parliaments are going to be key players to urge Governments to make the ambitious and long-term commitments that the 2030 Agenda requires. Proyecto Avizor —a Spanish Parliament Monitoring Organization (PMO)— has monitored the activity of the Spanish Parliament during the 2011-2016 period, analyzing the contribution that the parliamentarian activity has had to promote the Government’s commitment in the fight against global poverty, inequality and in favor of sustainable development and human rights. With the information provided by Proyecto Avizor, this article has aimed to find if, in the current Spanish political context, the political initiatives that will be needed to fulfill the 2030 Agenda’s goals, face extra obstacles and burdens during their approval procedures compared with the rest of initiatives. The results of the analysis show that the inclusion of the PCD approach in a political initiative decreases its chances of being successfully processed at the Parliament. On the other hand, the analysis has found no evidences that a stronger presence of the PCD approach in the political mandates approved by the Parliament hampers its chances of being accomplished by the Government. Being solidarity one of the values on which the European Union is founded, the European regional framework becomes the most suitable level to increase the effectiveness of European aid, assuming responsibility for coordination and management of policy coherence.

In or Beyond Aid: The Difficult Path of Policy Coherence for Development

Analyses of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) began to arise in the OECD more than two decades ago. These approaches have evolved while the discussions about the necessary reform of the system of international cooperation were taking place. However, the meetings in Rome, Paris, Accra and Busan, and the Aid Effectiveness Agenda, focused on a technocratic and unilateral vision of efficiency, away from the approach of CPD. Subsequently, the creation of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation has not meant a change of course on this issue. The article shows the striking absence of the CPD at conferences and declarations, which contrasts with its remarkable evolution in the doctrinal level, and raises the potentialities of the 2030 Agenda for the CPD.

Governance, development and security: trilemmas and implications for policy coherence

This article analyzes the limits of global governance and policy coherence for development (CPD),based on the inescapable trilemmas of the global economy and the CPD approach. The analysis considers some of the main contradictions and institutional and political dilemmas that impact the system of international relations and the dynamics of development in an increasingly interdependent and complex world. The article adopts a macro-institutional approach with a historical and multilevel perspective, in order to highlight the political economy of contemporary development and the obstacles to the promotion of a global governance agenda for a sustainable development.

Diaspora Philanthropy in the Context of Policy Coherence for Development: Implications for the post‐2015 Sustainable Development Agenda

AbstractThus far, there has been a dearth of studies that systemically examine the relationship between diaspora philanthropy, the development community and securitised migration regimes. This article addresses this by responding to the research question, “How coherent are securitised migration policies with diaspora philanthropy and the transformative development objectives that characterise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda?” The analysis is based on the concept of policy coherence for development (PCD). The article compares the simultaneous regionalization and securitization of European Union and United States migration policies and contends that these policy strategies undermine diaspora philanthropy, development partnerships and transformative development. Normative change must be introduced in order to establish coherence between globalized migration policies and diaspora philanthropy objectives. Normative coherence for development can be achieved by introducing principles from the SDG's and the Busan Development Partnership Agreement amongst other international development agendas, into migration policy‐making at the national and regional levels.