Challenges and conditions for collaboration. A case study of how Swedish agencies address and handle collaboration and governance challenges in their work towards achieving sustainable development goal 2

Abstract

This study focuses on collaboration and governance challenges within the implementation of Sustainable development goal 2 (SDG 2) in Sweden. The study is based on a theoretical framework on wicked policy perspectives and the four characteristics: complexity, divergence, fragmentation and uncertainty. Two research questions guide the analysis. The first question examines how Swedish government agencies organize their work related to achieving the SDG 2 targets, focusing on established collaboration strategies and programs. The second question analyzes what the main collaboration and governance challenges addressed by the agencies are and the potential solutions discussed in order to solve these challenges. The study uses a case study design and the empirical material, consisting of official documents and semi-structured interviews, is analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that the work is organized through many different strategies, initiatives and programs with no coherent unifying platform for collaboration. The main collaboration and governance challenges addressed by the agencies are lack of time and resources, lack of clarity on how SDG 2 relate to other national goals and strategies, target and conflict-seeking structures, unclear directives and division of responsibility, silo organizational structures, lack of research within the field, unclear how to use knowledge in practices and no inclusion of political aspects in the discussion. These results indicate characteristics of both complexity and divergence, fragmentation and uncertainty. The solutions discussed mainly require government action.