
New report on PCSD published
A study conducted in 2021 by a PS4SD team, resulting in a thematic report for the European Commission’s EUPACK programme on country knowledge on public administration, was published in December 2022. The study contains an analysis of how the SDG indicator 17.14.1 on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) could be implemented. It has case studies on Finland, Italy, and Romania. Download report. […]

Managing the Implementation of the SDGs
The report ‘Managing the Implementation of the SDGs’ by Ingeborg Niestroy and Louis Meuleman was published online recently by the European Commission’s DG REFORM. Originally made in 2020 and with some additions in 2021, the report introduces why and how the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals are essential for the quality of public administration and governance. Download the report here. […]
Navigating the Narrows: Strategies for SDG Governance
Louis Meuleman and Ingeborg Niestroy are the guest editors of a Special Issue of the Journal Sustainability, to be published after the summer of 2023. The theme is about strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to strategic governance for sustainable development, such as strategic planning, strategy as a learning process, and strategising for trade-offs and synergies in different (supranational, national, or subnational) contexts. More information and how to contribute can be found here. […]
Magic Numbers? Why the Politics of Indices Are a Problem Rather Than a Solution
JULY 2022 – In a critical guest article published online by IISD, Paul Jackson and Louis Meuleman point at the risks of measuring progress on complex issues such as the SDGs, though single numbers, as in an index. […]
Public administration, institutions, and governance for evidence-informed policymaking
JULY 2022 – In the report “Constructing assessment indicator dashboards for evidence-informed policymaking: Insights from the perspective of public administration, institutions, and governance”, Ingeborg Niestroy discusses the effectiveness of evidence-informed policymaking mechanisms from the perspective of policymakers, using the lenses of public administration, public management and (sustainability) governance. The report was prepared for the European Commission’s Joint Research Center and published online on 19 July 2022. It contains substantial input from Louis Meuleman. […]
What about the governance of evidence-informed policymaking?
JULY 2022 – How can policymakers make the best of the science they are offered to prepare new policies and laws? This question, focusing on the ‘demand’ side of science-policy-society relations, is less often asked than how the ‘supply’ side can be improved. Louis Meuleman argues in a Blog written for and published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, that the demand side needs to be taken more into account, and that a dedicated governance framework would definitely support this. The Blog builds on a report Ingeborg Niestroy wrote for the JRC. […]
Public Administration & Governance for the SDGs
MAY 2021 – In an Open Access article on Public Administration and Governance (PAG) for the SDGs, Louis Meuleman proposes four priorities to accelerate implementation of the SDGs: 1) making PAG a strategic policy area; 2) starting mission-oriented PAG reform; 3) metagovernance as management & design; 4) policy coherence as mindset. […]
SDG 16 Conference 2021, Rome
On 28 April 2021, Louis Meuleman moderated a very lively debate on “Lessons learned from the response of public institutions to the pandemic, on the first day of the (virtual) SDG 16 CONFERENCE 2021, in Rome. The four panelists were Sarah Lister (UNDP), Sabine Kuhlmann (Potsdam University), David Steven (UN Foundation) and Juan Manuel Roa (Dyntra). Watch the video recoding here: SDG 16 Conference 2021 Parallel session 1.2 […]
Contribution of CEI to UN Agenda 2030 and its implementation in CEI Member States
In the framework of the 5th anniversary of the adoption of Agenda 2030, the Central European Initiative, a collaboration of 17 countries, launched the report “Contribution of CEI to UN Agenda 2030 and its implementation in CEI Member States”, made by a Public Strategy for Sustainable Development team with Ingeborg Niestroy (lead), Sally Nicholson and Gaetane Charlier, in cooperation with the CEI-Executive Secretariat. […]
Cities management and sustainable development: monitoring and assessment approach
First lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic for climate governance
Latest book now free viewing online
Institutions for integration and planning – key lessons learned & impact of COVID-19
Speaking points kick-off presentation by Louis Meuleman at the UNDESA webinar on integrating the 2030 agenda into national plans and strategies:
14 May 2020 […]
Blog: How could COVID-19 shape institutional reforms and creation of a public-sector workforce of the future that accelerates delivery of the SDGs?
SDG & Covid-19 Reader
Some first governance lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic
UN CEPA input for HLPF 2020: Which institutions and governance to accelerate the SDGs?
Summary article of ‘Europe’s approach to implementing the SDGs’ report
Economics and governance for sustainability
Short reads on sustainability challenges
Preview Metagovernance for Sustainability – Chapter 1
Study “Europe’s approach to implementing the SDGs: Good practices and the way forward” (2019)
Why we need real-time multilevel governance for the SDGs
What makes effective governance?
Contribution to 2019 HLPF
CEPA Discusses Institutional Aspects of SDG 16
New review of ‘Metagovernance for Sustainability’
“General knowledge of the importance of the term metagovernance is relatively limited. Therefore, the recent publication by Louis Meuleman “Metagovernance for Sustainability” can be a significant contribution to a better general understanding of this concept.(…) This book in a very impressive and reasoned way presents the importance and complexity of metagovernance”. […]
Presentation study on implementing the SDGs for European Parliament
Update: Paperback version available of Metagovernance for Sustainability
New review of Metagovernance for Sustainability
Metagovernance as full SDGs toolbox
Let’s think beyond PPPs
First reviews of “Metagovernance for Sustainability”
“This is both a theoretical masterpiece and practical handbook” (Bob Jessop). “This is a ‘metabook’ which will inspire and guide all those responsible for and studying the SDGs” (Geert Bouckaert). “This book will become the core text in this area” (Paul Jackson). “This book is an important read for every practitioner from developing and developed countries alike” (Geraldine J Fraser-Moleketi). “A book that is a must for those who strive for enhanced professionalism in governance for sustainable development” (Roel in ‘t Veld). “What makes this book a must-read is the emphasis on how to get to differentiated governance for the SDGs” (Guenther Bachmann). […]