ADAPTIVE POLICYMAKING AND GOVERNANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: LESSONS FROM COMPARATIVE GLOBAL EXPERIENCES

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development demands governance architectures that are simultaneously ambitious in vision and flexible in execution. This chapter examines how adaptive policymaking frameworks across diverse national contexts have shaped the trajectory of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation since 2016. Drawing on comparative analysis of governance models from Finland, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, Rwanda, Brazil, India, and Indonesia, the chapter identifies structural patterns, institutional mechanisms, and contextual factors that either accelerate or constrain progress. It argues that effective SDG governance is not reducible to a single universal model but emerges from iterative cycles of policy design, monitoring, learning, and recalibration embedded within responsive institutional environments. Key findings highlight the centrality of vertical and horizontal policy coherence, the transformative role of data-driven accountability systems, and the underutilized potential of sub-national governance actors. The chapter concludes by extracting transferable lessons for policymakers navigating the final stretch of the global sustainability agenda.