The politics of coherence

The briefing argues that while climate and sustainable development goals are theoretically synergistic, actual policy coherence is hindered by political inequality, vested interests, and the prioritization of economic growth. Through analysis of nine countries and global NDC data, the research demonstrates that coherence is not a neutral technocratic exercise but a political process with significant distributional consequences, often burdening vulnerable groups when political will for equity is absent.

• Policy objectives are generally synergistic, but incoherence persists because it is driven by political factors—such as vested interests and power asymmetries—rather than simple institutional design flaws.
• The drivers of policy incoherence differ by national income level: high-income countries face predominantly political drivers at the agenda-setting stage, while lower-resource settings are primarily hindered by institutional weaknesses during implementation.
• Policy coherence is not inherently beneficial; it can entrench injustice if driven by dominant interests, as seen in Colombia's militarized anti-deforestation efforts.
• Empirical data shows that coherence is six times more likely to be associated with benefits than burdens, while incoherence is nine times more likely to produce burdens, which are disproportionately borne by vulnerable groups.
• Analysis of 164 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) reveals they act as partial sustainable development strategies, though they show marginal engagement with SDG 10 (reduced inequality).
• Climate-related Official Development Assistance (ODA) aligns with recipient NDC priorities at the broad SDG level, but this alignment is weaker at the specific SDG-target level and did not improve after the Paris Agreement.
• The prioritization of economic growth over social and environmental goals is identified as the primary driver of incoherence across all income levels.

APA

Dzebo, A. (2026). The politics of coherence. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sei-brief-may-2026-dzebo-politics-coherence.pdf

Chicago

Dzebo, Adis. The politics of coherence. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2026. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sei-brief-may-2026-dzebo-politics-coherence.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dzebo |first1=Adis |title=The politics of coherence |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sei-brief-may-2026-dzebo-politics-coherence.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dzebo2026politics, author = {Dzebo, Adis}, title = {{The politics of coherence}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sei-brief-may-2026-dzebo-politics-coherence.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }