ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the principle of ‘common but differentiated governance’ as an imperative for sustainability – because of the balance needed between common goals and differentiated implementation. It addresses several preconditions for the use of metagovernance as a framework concept for analysis, design and management of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Two important cross-cutting themes, namely systemic transitions and partnerships are described from a metagovernance perspective. The chapter discusses the central hypothesis and three questions raised in this book, and concludes that governance for sustainability and in particular for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals will benefit from the holistic and situational approach supported by using metagovernance of hierarchical, network and market governance styles. At the same time, there is a need to further analyse the experience with the practical application of metagovernance: there are some open questions, such as which guidance could be developed for practitioners of (sustainability) metagovernance, in order to deal with the tensions between universality and differentiation.
