The spirit of the Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) is mirrored in the recently adopted Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sweden has a comparatively long tradition of PCD through its Swedish version, the Policy for Global Development (PGD), endorsed by the Swedish parliament in 2003. While the need for PCD in Sweden and elsewhere seems more relevant than ever, there is also a recurring concern with fading political will and inadequate organization of policy work.
The aim of this report is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges in implementing policy coherence for development in the Swedish context. An analytical framework for various implementation dimensions of policy coherence for development is used in a systematic analysis of close to 1 000 different results in Government’s communications to the Parliament during the period 2004-2014. Two areas of relevance (migration and development and also higher education and research) to the ambition of the Swedish PGD are also included in the analysis.
The report was presented during the seminar PGU – omöjligt eller mer aktuellt än någonsin?
Main findings
- The Government’s results communications report many achievements, but few concrete results. The RBM
approach hence does not seem like an efficient way to manage and report on the policy. - There is need for a continuous dialogue on what the policy implies, but such dialogue does not always materialize.
- Common understanding has gradually evolved for the complex relationships between migration
and development efforts, policies on higher education and research seems less occupied with the sector’s role from a development perspective.
Recommendations
- Clear and strong political leadership
- Increased resources for implementation
- Place the policy at a more central organizational position
- Acknowledge the importance of continuous analysis
- Reporting of the policy’s achievement must be more process- and dialogue oriented
- The implementation of the PGD must be aligned with other crossover and integrative policy initiatives
Authors
Måns Fellesson, PhD in Sociology, Uppsala University
Lisa Román, PhD in Economics, Stockholm School of Economics