This book explores the role of scientific evidence within United Nations (UN) deliberation by examining the negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ratified by Member States in 2015. Using the SDGs as a case study, this book addresses a key gap in our understanding of the role of evidence in contemporary international policy-making. The book is structured around two overarching questions: (1) To what extent did scientific evidence shape the global policy targets articulated in the SDGs?; and (2) How did UN institutions (including informal institutions operating in support of UN processes) affect the way submitted evidence was integrated into the goals and targets that were ratified in 2015? The ultimate intention is to tease out common lessons on global policy-making processes and to understand the influence of different evidence inputs and institutional factors in shaping outcomes.
To understand the value afforded to scientific evidence within multilateral deliberation, a theoretical framework is provided drawing upon theories of institutionalism from political science and recent theories of evidence-informed policy-making. It posits that the success or failure of evidence informing global political processes rests upon: opportunities for evidence inputs through formal and informal institutional arrangements, the modes of interaction between scientists and policymakers, and the culture of evidence across the institution of the UN, both now and in its recent history, assuming that institutional culture is the product of practices replicated over time. Cutting across the discussion is the fundamental question of whose evidence counts and how expertise is defined? The framework is tested with specific reference to three themes that were prominent during the SDG negotiation process; urban sustainability, universal health coverage, and the use of statistics and data. Within each, scientific communities had specific demands and through an exploration of key literature, including evidence inputs and UN documentation, as well as through interviews and focus groups, the translation of these scientific ideas into policy priorities is explored.
The intended audiences of this book include academic practitioners studying evidence to policy processes, institutionalism, multilateral negotiation and/or UN policy planning. The book also intends to provide useful insights for policy makers, including UN diplomats, officials and staff working to improve the quality of evidence communication and uptake within multilateral institutions. Finally, it aims to support the whole global academic and scientific community, including students of public policy and political science, by providing insights on how to input into, influence, and even shape international evidence-based policy-making.
