Governance and Coordination in the 2030 Agenda: A Systemic Analysis of SDG Progress

As countries increasingly commit to the 2030 Agenda, measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has advanced rapidly. In parallel, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks have gained prominence as tools to assess sustainability performance across public and private sectors. Yet, much of the existing literature – on both SDGs and ESG - remains technical and aggregate, focusing on performance metrics rather than the governance structures, institutional capacities, and coordination mechanism, and levels of trust in public institutions that ultimately determine whether sustainability goals are achieved.

This gap is particularly visible in three areas: (i) SDG targets and ESG criteria are rarely operationalized as actionable units for policy design, public administration, or regulatory practice; (ii) Limited attention is paid to synergies and trade-offs among SDGs – and between SDGs and ESG dimensions – creating challenges for political and administrative coordination; and (iii) Differences in SDG and ESG performance between the Global North and South often reflect structural governance inequalities, uneven institutional capacity and varying levels of institutional trust, rather than mere variations in policy outcomes.

Prioritization efforts have largely focused on underperforming goals, overlooking causal mechanisms, institutional arrangements, and leverage points. These elements could generate cross-cutting effects across SDGs and ESG dimensions. Crucially, insufficient attention has been paid to how trust in public institutions, regulatory credibility, and perceived fairness of governance processes shape stakeholder engagement, policy compliance, and long-term sustainability outcomes. Without a governance- and trust-focused perspective, current evaluation, and reporting systems – whether SDG-based or ESG-oriented – offer limited guidance for coherent, coordinated, and effective policy-making.

This Research Topic moves beyond conventional assessments by examining how institutional capacities, governance arrangements, coordination mechanisms, and trust in public institutions interact to shape SDG implementation and ESG incorporation in public policy. Contributions may explore how governments, regulatory agencies, and policy systems align SDGs and ESG frameworks, foster synergies, mitigate trade-offs, and address regional disparities. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of public sector institutions, multi-level governance, trust-building mechanisms, and data-driven approaches in supporting sustainable and equitable policy outcomes.

We welcome submissions on, but not limited to:
• Governance and coordination mechanisms for SDGs and ESG frameworks
• Systemic interactions among SDGs and ESG dimensions: synergies and trade-offs
• Institutional capacities, policy instruments, and governance leverage points
• Regional disparities in SDG and ESG implementation (Global North vs. Global South)
• Political and administrative challenges in aligning SDGs, ESG, and national strategies
• Innovative approaches to monitoring, governing, and managing SDG and ESG progress

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: SDG implementation, ESG frameworks, governance, institutional trust, policy coordination, sustainable development

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.