LIST OF PANELS

Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) poses complex challenges for Global South nations, where state capacities, policy effectiveness, and implementation arrangements tend to be considered fragile. However, they are essential for achieving the 2030 Agenda. This panel explores the intersection between policy capacity, implementation arrangements, and SDG success, focusing on how governments in the Global South mobilize resources, build institutions, and navigate political and institutional complexities to ensure effective and sustainable policy outcomes.
Drawing on frameworks from public administration and policy scholars, the panel examines how policy capacity deployment and implementation arrangements—involving diverse actors, resources, and instruments—activate policy capacities for SDG implementation. Their approach underscores that policy capacity skills and resources are not static but depend on dynamic governance arrangements and political deployment to ensure effective implementation.
The overarching research question is: How can policy capacity and governance arrangements in the Global South be optimized to enhance the effective implementation of the SDGs?
Sub-questions include:
• What are the critical factors that influence the success or failure of SDG policies?
• How do public sector innovation, dynamic capabilities, and decentralization contribute to the progress of SDG implementation?
• How can policy capacity be politically deployed across different levels of government to align national strategies with SDG?
This panel's scientific relevance lies in its focus on bridging theoretical discussions of state policy capacity with the practical realities of SDG governance implementation. By emphasizing the political and relational dynamics between politics, administrative resources, and policy instruments, the panel addresses a gap in understanding how state capacity is activated through governance arrangements and how these arrangements influence the success of SDG policies.
This panel will cover:
• Governance structures and the role of public sector innovation in supporting SDG implementation.
• The importance of dynamic capabilities in adapting and reconfiguring resources to meet development challenges.
• The impact of political leadership, intergovernmental coordination, and collaboration with civil society and private sector actors in achieving SDG goals.
The panel format will be onsite, allowing for in-person and virtual participation.

Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) poses complex challenges for Global South nations, where state capacities, policy effectiveness, and implementation arrangements tend to be considered challenging. However, they are essential for achieving the 2030 Agenda. This panel explores the intersection between policy capacity, implementation arrangements, and SDG success, focusing on how governments in the Global South mobilize resources, build institutions, and navigate political and institutional complexities to ensure effective and sustainable policy outcomes.

The panel examines how policy capacity deployment and implementation arrangements—involving diverse actors, resources, and instruments—activate policy capacities for SDG implementation. Their approach underscores that policy capacity skills and resources are not static but depend on dynamic governance arrangements and political deployment to ensure effective implementation.

The overarching research question is: How can policy capacity and governance arrangements be optimized to enhance the effective implementation of the SDGs in the Global South?

This panel invites empirical, theoretical, and methodological papers addressing the following themes:

·         Governance Arrangements and Policy Capacity Deployment: How do the configuration of actors, resources, and instruments in governance arrangements activate or obstacle administrative skills and resources for SDG implementation?

·         Policy Capacity Deployment for SDG Success: How can different forms of policy capacity (administrative, technical, and political) be deployed to align national strategies with SDG goals? Papers analyzing political leadership, coordination mechanisms, and institutional reforms in this process are highly encouraged.

·         Public Sector Innovation and Dynamic Capabilities: The role of innovation and adaptability within public sector organizations in overcoming SDG challenges and promoting sustainable development.

· Multi-level governance and Coordination: How do national, regional, and local governments coordinate to ensure effective SDG implementation? Papers exploring the role of decentralization and local governance in delivering SDG outcomes are encouraged.

·         Collaborative Governance and Stakeholder Engagement: Research on the involvement of civil society, the private sector, and international organizations in the collaborative governance models necessary for SDG success is welcome. Contributions analyzing cross-sectoral partnerships to overcome barriers in policy implementation are also welcome.

·         Political Economy and Power Relations: How do political priorities, vested interests, and the broader political economy shape the capacity of states in the Global South to implement the SDGs? Papers analyzing power dynamics and their impact on SDG policy processes are invited.

We encourage submissions employing diverse methodological approaches—such as case studies, comparative analyses, and policy evaluations—to enrich the discussion on state capacity, governance arrangements, policy instruments, and SDG implementation in the Global South.

The panel will be divided into multiple sessions for diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary dialogue.