Transformative potential in sustainable development goals engagement: Experience from local governance in Australia

Localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is often associated with the act of localising goals, targets and indicators, as well as the activities to measure and monitor progress. However, local communities worldwide are starting to engage with the SDGs by other means, for example, by incorporating the SDGs into local governance. In these efforts to make the SDGs part of an existing local governance process, which we call SDG engagement, the SDGs can be valued differently. They can be valued for their potential to support a widespread and fundamental change in society (the SDG transformative potential) or for their moderate addition to ongoing practices and activities (the SDG conventional value). Currently, how local governments can engage with the SDGs in different local governance activities is underexplored. This study introduces eight modes through which local governments can engage with the SDGs in local governance and discuss the unique transformative potential of those engagements via synthesising knowledge across 14 empirical studies of local communities in Australia. Building on the findings of this study, we propose a framework to aid SDG engagement in local governance activities, highlighting the transformative potential of the engagements. The study highlights the need for future explorations on the opportunities to enact a deliberate and more ambitious transformation driven by governance institutions.