Effective institutions are essential for sustainable development. However, in many countries institutions are weak and financial resources for strengthening them are scarce. Research has found that in order to be strong and legitimate, institutions have to be politically negotiated and domestically rooted and financed. How do these processes work and how can international support facilitate them?

To better understand how institutions can effectively contribute to the common good of a society, we need to know more about the mobilisation of (im)material resources for their establishment and reform in different contexts. Reforming political institutions, too, is crucial for an integrated implementation of the Agenda 2030.

Based on a multi-level approach,  we study how the mobilisation of domestic resources can lead to greater social cohesion and how it can strengthen the accountability of governments. In our research on the SDGs, we analyse the challenges the integrated implementation of the Agenda 2030 poses for states, especially with weak institutions, and what can be done about it. Beyond the domestic level, we study the role of regional migration regimes for the cross-border movement of people in some of the poorest parts of the world. The role of international tax cooperation with regard to fighting tax avoidance and evasion is another focus of our research in this cluster.