ABSTRACT
Norms can be defined as implicit or explicit rules in resource allocation. As implicit rules, norms shape human behaviour through personal and collective ideals and beliefs, they are therefore engrained in people's decision-making. As explicit rules, norms can be institutionalized into a national or international legal framework and used as rules of governance. While the strongest impact of the Sustainable Development Goals has been in the way they have changed people's cognitive mechanisms towards a universal ideal, explicit challenges remain to address their normative ambiguity, the conflicts between global and local norms, and the impact of monitoring mechanisms and power dynamics.
