Sustainable Development Goals - Bridging Policy, Practice and People

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the most ambitious goals that people have ever set for themselves. These goals are meant to end poverty,protect the environment, and make sure everyone is doing well by 2030. But now that we?ve passed the halfway point on this schedule, a very important question comes up: are the SDGs making it easier for people to get what they need from their governments? The edited book Sustainable Development Goals: Bridging Policy, Practice, and People tries to answer these kinds of questions by using evidence-based, analytical, and comparative thinking. The book?s goal is to go beyond happy stories and really think about the problems, contra-dictions, and unfairness that are part of the SDG conversation. The SDGs have led to more cooperation between countries than ever before and have inspired new ways to act. However,they also show how weak our current institutions are in terms of the economy, society, and the environment. The promise of inclusion often goes against the way power is set up, how resourc-es are shared, and how well things are put into action. The authors of this collection put their analyses in the middle of these tensions. The chapters in this book together show how hard it is to make development sustainable. Each contribution goes deeper into progress indicators, from rethinking how to get rid of poverty in a world where wealth gaps are growing to questioning hunger in a world where there is plenty of food, and from health inequalities that are hidden by the phrase ?health for all? to educa-tion that goes beyond access to quality and fairness. The discussions about gender equality,switching to renewable energy, and good jobs show even more how hard it is to make policies that work in the real world.