Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: An A-Z Guide

— —

Frank Biermann Thomas Hickmann (University of Potsdam, Germany)

Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals

An A-Z Guide

Frank Biermann, Thomas Hickmann (University of Potsdam, Germany), Yi hyun Kang , Carole-Anne Sénit

$305

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Routledge
29 July 2025

Development studies; Anthropology; Sustainability

Series: A-Z Guides for Environment and Sustainability

This book provides a highly accessible and uder-friendly overview of the essential concepts and terms related to the current global endeavour to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

With the first decade of the 15-year timespan of the 2030 Agenda now past, the SDGs show limited progress and several goals are even regressing. It is imperative that SDG implementation is accelerated until 2030 and beyond to foster transformations and set the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. The book starts with a thematic introduction to contextualize the topic and set the stage for the individual entries. It then follows an A-Z format, with over 100 entries which describe an important concept or term, using practical examples to illustrate how it connects to the overall debate about sustainable development. It offers swift introductions to key concepts and terms that are discussed and explained by scholarly and policy experts from around the world in a concise and user-friendly way.

The guide is comprehensive in scope, practically oriented and focused on political and societal processes to drive change on a larger scale. With cross-references to related terms in the entries, this book will be a highly valuable resource for students and practitioners engaged with the SDGs and sustainable development more broadly.

Edited by: Frank Biermann, Thomas Hickmann (University of Potsdam, Germany), Yi hyun Kang, Carole-Anne Sénit, Yixian Sun
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032857251
ISBN 10: 1032857250
Series: A-Z Guides for Environment and Sustainability
Pages: 206
Publication Date: 29 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

List of contributors Acknowledgements 1 Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: An Introduction 2 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 3 Accountability 4 Anthropocene 5 Artificial intelligence 6 Brundtland Report 7 Budgeting for Sustainable Development 8 Business sector 9 Civil society 10 Climate change and sustainable development 11 Climate finance 12 Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) 13 Coordination 14 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 15 Custodians 16 Data gaps 17 Development banks 18 Discourse and discursive effects 19 Education for Sustainable Development 20 Effectiveness 21 Finance mechanisms 22 Fragmentation 23 Gender mainstreaming 24 Global Sustainable Development Reports (GSDR) 25 Governance by global goal-setting 26 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 27 Human Rights 28 Implementation 29 Inclusiveness 30 Independent Group of Scientists (IGS) 31 Indicators 32 Indigenous views 33 Inequality (global and national) 34 Institutions and institutional effects 35 Integration 36 Integrity (ecological and planetary) 37 Interaction and interlinkages 38 International Environmental Agreements 39 International Monetary Fund (IMF) 40 International organizations 41 Justice perspectives 42 ‘Leave no one behind’ 43 Legitimacy 44 Living wages 45 Localization 46 Major groups and other stakeholders 47 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 48 Modelling 49 Multi-level governance 50 National Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDS) 51 Negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals 52 Network analysis 53 Nexus governance 54 Norms and normative effects 55 North-South relations 56 Official development assistance (ODA) 57 Orchestration 58 Paris Agreement 59 Participation 60 Partnerships 61 People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnerships (5 Ps) 62 Philanthropic foundations 63 Planetary boundaries 64 Policy coherence and integration (at domestic level) 65 Policy coherence for sustainable development (at global level) 66 Political impact and steering effects 67 Political will and leadership 68 Private finance 69 Private governance 70 Rainbow washing 71 Rankings and performance measurement 72 Regional organizations 73 Responsibility 74 Science, technology and innovation 75 Scientific community 76 SDG summits 77 Silo approach 78 Stockholm+50 79 Subnational initiatives 80 Summit of the Future (2024) 81 Sustainable finance 82 Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) 83 Synergies and goal complementarity 84 Targets 85 Trade-offs and goal conflicts 86 Trans-disciplinarity 87 Transformation 88 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992) 89 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (2012) 90 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972) 91 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) 92 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 93 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 94 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 95 United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) 96 United Nations Statistical Commission 97 Universality 98 Voluntary Local Reviews 99 Voluntary National Reviews 100 Vulnerability 101 World Bank 102 World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) 103 World Health Organization (WHO) 104 World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) 105 World Trade Organization (WTO) 106 Youth Annex: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Frank Biermann is Professor of Global Sustainability Governance at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and the 2025 Zennström Visiting Professor in Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University, Sweden. Thomas Hickmann is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Lund University in Sweden. He is highly committed to interdisciplinary collaborations, research-based education and engagements with civil society to identify pathways towards sustainability transformations. Yi hyun Kang is Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Political Science at Lund University in Sweden. Her research explores the role of civil society and technology in environmental politics and governance. Her research interests have been shaped by professional experiences in journalism, international development, and applied research. Carole-Anne Sénit is Assistant Professor of Inclusive Sustainability Governance with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The corpus of her research assesses the democratic legitimacy of sustainability governance, with a particular attention to whether and how citizens can take part in and influence the decisions that affect their lives. Yixian Sun is Associate Professor in International Development and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Bath, United Kingdom. He studies transnational governance, environmental politics and sustainable development with a focus on emerging economies.

Reviews for Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: An A-Z Guide

""This meticulously organized A-Z guide arrives at a crucial moment in our global pursuit of sustainable development. It strikes an excellent balance between theoretical depth and practical application. What sets this book apart is its accessibility and clear focus on governance and implementation challenges, making it an invaluable resource for students, policymakers, and sustainability practitioners alike.” - Måns Nilsson, Executive Director of Stockholm Environment Institute “This book is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Its accessible format, A-Z structure, and practical examples make complex concepts easy to navigate. Offering valuable insights from global experts with a focus on transformative change, the book will equip policymakers, practitioners, and advocates with tools to drive real impact. To address the halting pace of change, we must redouble efforts to build inclusive societies and a livable planet. This guide is indispensable for shaping a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future.” - Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women “Sharing knowledge and research to support coordinated and informed decision-making is crucial to accelerating progress on the interlinked Sustainable Development Goals. This timely publication delivers much needed practical solutions and shows how everyone can contribute to transformative change.” - Astra Bonini, Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the Division for the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs “As a youth representative having participated in the processes of the 2030 Agenda, I believe that this book can be very useful to any person willing to understand the problems and challenges related to the implementation of the SDGs. It presents key concepts in an easy-to-navigate fashion. I hope it will help structure the thinking of people who wish to fight for a better world."" - Jean Servais, Belgian UN Youth Delegate for Sustainable Development 2022-24 “This book is an invaluable resource for anyone working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. With contributions from experts worldwide—including researchers from Southern Voice—it offers a clear, accessible, and practical guide to the essential concepts shaping the global effort to implement the 2030 Agenda. At a time of uneven SDG progress and growing urgency, this A–Z guide is a timely tool to help those in academia, policy, and practice navigate complexity and sharpen their contribution to sustainable development.” - Margarita Gómez, Executive Director at Southern Voice and Visiting Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University