Sustainable Development Goals at the Subnational Level: Roles and good practices for subnational governments

The document argues that subnational governments are essential for implementing sustainable development policies because they are closest to citizens' needs and can foster grassroots innovation. It emphasizes the need for 'vertical coordination'—the linking of local, subnational, national, and supranational levels—to ensure policy coherence. Using empirical research, the author identifies good practice examples in Europe (such as Tyrol, Austria) and other regions (such as Bhutan), while noting that many regions lack systematic links to national strategies due to political independence or administrative bottlenecks. The briefing recommends a 'metagovernance' approach that mixes hierarchical, market, and network styles to better integrate sustainable development across all levels of government.

• Subnational governments serve a critical bottom-up function by being closest to the needs of citizens and small businesses, acting as a site for grassroots action, innovation, and pilot projects that can be scaled up.
• Effective sustainable development governance requires 'vertical coordination' to link local, subnational, national, and supranational levels, moving beyond simple hierarchy toward 'metagovernance'—a dynamic mix of hierarchy, market, and network governance styles.
• Austria is identified as the only country with a joint national and subnational sustainable development strategy in place since 2010, with the region of Tyrol adopting the first regional SDS in 2012 as an extension of national and EU strategies.
• Bhutan is highlighted as an outstanding example of vertical governance, utilizing a cooperative participatory approach to integrate provincial and local needs into its National Development Plan (NDP) and its constitutional principle of gross national happiness (GNH).
• In Germany, while the national sustainable development strategy is highly successful, vertical coordination is hindered by the lack of a functioning cooperating body for regional administrators and a failure to systematically translate national goals into regional targets.
• The 'greening' of the European Semester demonstrates how subnational regions can exert influence beyond their formal constitutional remits by integrating environmental policies—such as the circular economy and eco-innovation—into economic governance.

APA

Niestroy, I. (2014). Sustainable Development Goals at the Subnational Level: Roles and good practices for subnational governments. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_sub_national_roles.pdf

Chicago

Niestroy, Ingeborg. Sustainable Development Goals at the Subnational Level: Roles and good practices for subnational governments. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_sub_national_roles.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Niestroy |first1=Ingeborg |title=Sustainable Development Goals at the Subnational Level: Roles and good practices for subnational governments |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_sub_national_roles.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{niestroy2014sustainable, author = {Niestroy, Ingeborg}, title = {{Sustainable Development Goals at the Subnational Level: Roles and good practices for subnational governments}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_sub_national_roles.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }