This chapter focuses on the national level and studies interlinkages, institutional integration and policy coherence in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. After defining key terms, the chapter reviews how perspectives on interlinkages have shaped a new discourse, followed by an analysis of the steering effects of the global goals on institutional integration and policy coherence. The chapter finds that some measures have been taken by national governments to advance institutional integration through coordination by central agencies and inter-ministerial exchanges. Growing policy coherence, however, is not clearly observable. Existing barriers in political-administrative systems preventing institutional integration and policy coherence have not vanished with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. Although recent studies have considerably enhanced knowledge on the conceptual understanding of interlinkages, integration and coherence, empirical data about how these concepts play out in practice at national level is still very limited.

Description: The existing global institutional architecture continues to promote anarchic behavior by individual countries. There is no truly global and effective global institution to promote desirable global public goods. Major policies have remained national, with still too little coordination, and raising standards of living is still the most important objective, in spite of the impact that that may have on the environment or on income distribution. Global warming is still not having the impact that it ought to have on global policies. Monetary and fiscal policies have continued to be focused on growth. Correctives are clearly needed to better deal with equity and with environmental policies. The end result of this trend is unknown and worrisome. Clearly it has become more difficult than it was in the nineteenth century to accept the view that the future is correlated with progress and that the standard of living of humans will inevitably continue to improve.