How did governance get into the SDGs and what does this mean?

Creating knowledge to end poverty

Prof. David HulmeGlobal Development InstituteUniversity of Manchester

http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/http://www.effective-states.org/http://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/

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

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

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)

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’

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

• 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

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 

• 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

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?

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

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!

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.

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.

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)

Classification and properties of governance measures

Governance quality time paths by level of development

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