Sound policy-making in the ecology of sustainable development : eight guidance notes in search of practice

Abstract

The United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs has published a set of guidance notes on sound policy-making for sustainable development. These notes provide rich information on strategies, tools, case studies, resources for peer-to-peer learning, and context-sensitive lessons drawn from cross-country experience. Taken together, they approach the topic of sound policy-making in an ecological way, showing the potential of considering policy tools as coherent mix of instruments. This paper discusses the approach behind the individual notes, their ecological connection, and the challenge of moving from guidance to practice.