A theory of change approach to enhance the post-2030 sustainable development agenda: a better approach is needed to assess potential impact and feasibility of proposals

As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) nears and progress remains limited, researchers are proposing measures to enhance the next, post-2030, agenda to improve implementation (1–3). With more proposals expected in future, we argue for a systematic approach to help researchers and policy-makers design and assess them. This requires a theory of change that explains how and why proposals will improve implementation of the next agenda, while also considering their political feasibility. We start by constructing an implicit theory of change underpinning the current 2030 Agenda (4) to revisit how the SDGs were intended to work and identify key successes and failures. We then propose an approach for assessing proposals put forward to improve the post-2030 agenda on the basis of their impact and feasibility.