Exploring the Criteria and Processes of Collaborative Governance for SDG Implementation in Portugal

Sustainable development requires legitimate coordination of cross-sector trade-offs across environmental limits, social needs, and long-term economic viability. Because the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relies on multi-actor arrangements, collaborative governance (CG) design features may condition whether participation translates into joint decision-making. CG emerges from these dynamic strategies to produce public products and services with multiple stakeholders, aligning and integrating the various parties’ ambitions. Given the ongoing discussion on SDGs, marked by the complexity and interdependence of actors, innovative, collaborative solutions are needed to achieve the desired goals. This necessity is further underscored by introducing a goal related to partnerships and collaboration: “Partnerships for Development” (Goal 17), demonstrating that collaboration is a crucial element for sustainable development and the implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. Thus, this study aims to explore how CG supports strategies to implement the SDGs. To this end, through content analysis, we examine four initiatives involving public and private actors related to the implementation of the SDGs in Portugal. We aim to analyze whether these meet the criteria of CG and the various dimensions anticipated for its process. Only one initiative meets the criteria for CG, and Portugal still needs an established collaborative governance arrangement for implementing the SDGs. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in collaborative arrangements initiated by public organizations that allow for participation in decision-making and greater consensus-building, preserving a real contribution to public policy and a better understanding of the impacts and benefits of collaboration. It is also necessary to discuss the need for metagovernance structures for sustainable development.