The monitoring and evaluation challenges of the sustainable development goals: an assessment in three European countries

Fabrizio De Francesco; Valérie Pattyn; Hannah Salamon

doi:10.1002/sd.2759

The monitoring and evaluation challenges of the sustainable development goals: an assessment in three European countries

Fabrizio De Francesco, Valérie Pattyn, Hannah Salamon

Politics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

61 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

While discourse about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has primarily focused on ‘whether the goals’ are achieved, there remains limited understanding of how developed countries organize their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, which play a crucial role in tracking progress towards the SDGs. In this contribution, we unpack the M&E frameworks of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To do so, we have devised an analytical heuristic that combines insights from the literature on policy performance measurement and measurement infrastructures with the more specific literature on SDG governance. Through document analysis and elite interviews conducted in 2021, our findings highlight similarity in underdeveloped M&E frameworks, rather than significant variation across the three case studies. The results do not suggest a linkage between SDG performance and the development of M&E frameworks.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1913-1924
Number of pages	12
Journal	Sustainable Development
Volume	32
Issue number	3
Early online date	15 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2759
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 15 Sept 2023

Funding

Gratama Foundation and Leiden University Fund (2020‐04/ W20390‐7‐GSL), Research Strategic Funds of the School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde. 1 Also in the Netherlands, there is a similar coverage of SDG indicators and pragmatic approach to data collection: the first baseline report issued by the Netherlands was a conglomeration of indicator data that was already in existence and covered 37% of the SDG indicators. From this original data, the CBS has attempted to gather data on the ‘low hanging fruit’—the indicators which the Netherlands could measure with only minimal additional effort (Netherlands Interview 3). With funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economic Affairs, the CBS managed to increase indicator reporting to over 50% (Netherlands Interview 3). In addition, SDG reporting has merged, insofar as it is possible, with the existing annual Monitor of Wellbeing report (Netherlands Interview 3, i.e., ‘’) and other European policies and initiatives to enhance sustainability (Netherlands VNR 2017 ). Monitor Brede Welvaart & de Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

2030 agenda for sustainable development
Europe
measurement infrastructures
monitoring and evaluation
sustainable development goals governance

Access to Document

10.1002/sd.2759Licence: CC BY 4.0

De-Francesco-etal-SD-2023-The-monitoring-and-evaluation-challenges-of-the-sustainable-development-goalsFinal published version, 1.11 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

@article{a46c0039bdba4f16af1762ce4eb76698,

title = "The monitoring and evaluation challenges of the sustainable development goals: an assessment in three European countries",

abstract = "While discourse about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has primarily focused on {\textquoteleft}whether the goals{\textquoteright} are achieved, there remains limited understanding of how developed countries organize their monitoring and evaluation (M\&E) systems, which play a crucial role in tracking progress towards the SDGs. In this contribution, we unpack the M\&E frameworks of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To do so, we have devised an analytical heuristic that combines insights from the literature on policy performance measurement and measurement infrastructures with the more specific literature on SDG governance. Through document analysis and elite interviews conducted in 2021, our findings highlight similarity in underdeveloped M\&E frameworks, rather than significant variation across the three case studies. The results do not suggest a linkage between SDG performance and the development of M\&E frameworks.",

keywords = "2030 agenda for sustainable development, Europe, measurement infrastructures, monitoring and evaluation, sustainable development goals governance",

author = "\{De Francesco\}, Fabrizio and Val{\'e}rie Pattyn and Hannah Salamon",

year = "2023",

month = sep,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1002/sd.2759",

language = "English",

volume = "32",

pages = "1913--1924",

journal = "Sustainable Development",

issn = "0968-0802",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",

number = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The monitoring and evaluation challenges of the sustainable development goals

T2 - an assessment in three European countries

AU - De Francesco, Fabrizio

AU - Pattyn, Valérie

AU - Salamon, Hannah

PY - 2023/9/15

Y1 - 2023/9/15

N2 - While discourse about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has primarily focused on ‘whether the goals’ are achieved, there remains limited understanding of how developed countries organize their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, which play a crucial role in tracking progress towards the SDGs. In this contribution, we unpack the M&E frameworks of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To do so, we have devised an analytical heuristic that combines insights from the literature on policy performance measurement and measurement infrastructures with the more specific literature on SDG governance. Through document analysis and elite interviews conducted in 2021, our findings highlight similarity in underdeveloped M&E frameworks, rather than significant variation across the three case studies. The results do not suggest a linkage between SDG performance and the development of M&E frameworks.

AB - While discourse about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has primarily focused on ‘whether the goals’ are achieved, there remains limited understanding of how developed countries organize their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, which play a crucial role in tracking progress towards the SDGs. In this contribution, we unpack the M&E frameworks of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To do so, we have devised an analytical heuristic that combines insights from the literature on policy performance measurement and measurement infrastructures with the more specific literature on SDG governance. Through document analysis and elite interviews conducted in 2021, our findings highlight similarity in underdeveloped M&E frameworks, rather than significant variation across the three case studies. The results do not suggest a linkage between SDG performance and the development of M&E frameworks.

KW - 2030 agenda for sustainable development

KW - Europe

KW - measurement infrastructures

KW - monitoring and evaluation

KW - sustainable development goals governance

UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sd.2759

U2 - 10.1002/sd.2759

DO - 10.1002/sd.2759

M3 - Article

SN - 0968-0802

VL - 32

SP - 1913

EP - 1924

JO - Sustainable Development

JF - Sustainable Development

IS - 3

ER -

The monitoring and evaluation challenges of the sustainable development goals: an assessment in three European countries

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this