The sustainable development goals: diffusion and contestation in Asia and Europe

Table of Contents
Section 1 Conceptual frameworks
1. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as international norms
Mina Chiba and Yasushi Katsuma
2. Adapting and applying the ‘spiral model’ to the diffusion of the SDGs
Thais Favero Souza and Paul Bacon
Section 2 Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being (SDG3)
3. Diffusion of UHC through global health diplomacy
Yasushi Katsuma
4. Diffusion of SRHR and local constraints: the Philippines
Elena Avramovska
5. Sexuality education in Thailand: Contestation and reconciliation
Mina Chiba
Section 3 Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG4)
6. Reformulation of inclusive education: Cambodia
Makiko Hayashi
7. Diffusion of inclusive education in Malawi
Jun Kawaguchi and Kazuo Kuroda
8. Challenges for diffusing Global Citizenship Education in Japan
Leyla Radjai
Section 4 Full and productive employment and decent work (SDG8)
9. Gender equality and decent work: Japan
Thais Favero Souza
10. Tackling forced labour in Thailand: The role of the EU and ILO
Paul Bacon and Nishkhan Usayapant
11. Diffusion of labour rights: Georgia 2003–2019
Shukuko Koyama
12. Mainstreaming animal welfare: The role of EU trade policy
Stephanie Ghislain
Section 5 Conclusion
13. Norm diffusion, norm contestation and the SDGs
Paul Bacon, Mina Chiba, and Frederik Ponjaert

There have been significant efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at multiple levels of governance across all regions of the world. However, the manner in which the global governance norms underlying the SDGs are actually being diffused is under-researched and not well understood. This book considers the promotion of the SDGs through the lens of norm diffusion theory, with a focus on three SDG policy areas; health, education and decent work.

A distinctive feature of the book is that it offers multiple original case studies of SDG norm diffusion involving Asian and European actors. A unique feature is that the case studies in the book identify relevant SDG norm senders and norm receivers, and examine the relationship between them. The book also challenges the assumption that the SDGs themselves are static and unchanging, and reveals how SDG norms are dynamic and can be reformulated as a result of contestation between norm senders and norm receivers. As well as introducing a diverse and original set of case studies, the book therefore allows readers to deepen their understandings of the policy diffusion mechanisms by which SDGs are diffused, and grasp the patterns of success and failure in the implementation of these policies.