The role of a shared system of rules for inclusive and effective polycentric SDG governance arrangements in East Africa

The research problem for the polycentric SDG governance project is how a fragmented governance context could develop into a polycentric governance system. What distinguishes polycentric from fragmented governance regimes are mechanisms of coordination or alignment between the different decision-making centres, based on the presence of a shared system of rules. Such a shared system of rules serves to identify the boundaries of a specific polycentric system in which normative values for the system’s functioning and aims are set out, as well as its key processes. This PhD project will focus on how internationally endorsed principles for aid effectiveness can function as a shared system of rules for polycentric governance of SDG interactions. Under the polycentric SDG governance project, I will work on the question how a shared system of rules can be leveraged to enable inclusive and effective polycentric SDG governance arrangements in East Africa. I will study internationally endorsed principles for aid effectiveness as a shared system of rules for polycentric governance of SDG interactions. My data collection methods will include in-depth interviews with development actors, policy documents, and multi-sited ethnography. I will then analyze result data from a multi-level perspective, using various qualitative methods.