Development finance and the 2030 goals

Abstract

In their attempt to stimulate an exponential financing rise of "billions to trillions", the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda are helping to normalise and promote a radical shift in development finance. A growing concern is that private finance is not forthcoming, calling into question the "billions to trillions" model. In this chapter, however, I focus on the risks of "successfully" moving in this direction. The mainstream bilateral and multilateral community appear too sanguine, and even naïve, about the financial sector. Any analysis of the SDGs must be attentive to the possibilities and risks of the emerging development finance regime that they are helping to legitimate.