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This chapter draws out lessons regarding how the diagnosis of urgent problems, the formation of ambitious and visionary goals, and the participation of stakeholders with critical innovation assets stimulate the cocreation of innovative solutions that promote the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and how changemakers can lead and manage cocreated innovation processes. It considers the initiation of innovation processes and the design and testing of innovative solutions as well as the upscaling and diffusion of new successful products, processes and organizational forms. Finally, it identifies several common pitfalls that are important for changemakers to avoid, including an assumption of the necessity for heroic leadership, failure to include relevant actors, overly strict and detailed plans and procedures, and inability to integrate newcomers.

This chapter looks at the crucial role that local action plays in achieving the SDGs. It begins by revisiting the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals and ponders the reasons why we should have faith in the prospect for successful goal attainment. Next, it demonstrates the importance of local responses to global problems and challenges targeted by the SDGs and discusses the motivation of local actors to contribute to the changes that need to be made in order to generate inclusive prosperity while protecting the planet. Finally, the chapter identifies some of the key barriers to local action and reflects on how we broaden the scope and improve the conditions for local people and organizations to initiate and drive change.

This chapter examines the translation of generic global goals into local action. It first discusses the translation of global goals into national agendas and the challenges of localizing the goals. Localizing the goals is essential for ensuring that the SDGs reflect local needs, norms, and values, thus ensuring that local actors find them relevant and meaningful. The chapter argues that cocreation is a key vehicle for the localization of the SDGs and identifies the key benefits that arise from using cocreation as a localization strategy. Cocreation can foster the will and capacity for local governments and communities to advance the cause of sustainability. Cocreation can help communities integrate the sustainable development goals, identify hidden resources, build support networks, create social accountability, etc.

This chapter looks at how Goal 17 on partnerships can be a lever of change. It discusses the partnership approach to achieving the SDGs and unravels the key functions of networks and partnerships, such as knowledge sharing, coordination, and collaborative governance. It carefully explains why we need to shift the focus of the global debate from collaborative governance to the cocreation of public value outcomes. It then provides a schematic account of the different steps in the process of cocreating outcomes, which include initiation, design, implementation, and evaluation. Finally, the chapter identifies the key merits of cocreation and looks its dark side straight in the eye.

Wicked problems are causally complex, lack definite solutions, and re-emerge in different guises. This paper discusses how new ways of organizing emerge to tackle changing manifestations of wicked problems. Focusing on the wicked problem of poverty, we conducted a longitudinal study of Fe y Alegria (FyA), one of the world’s largest non-governmental organization, which provides education for the poor across 21 countries in Latin America and Africa. Drawing on archival and ethnographic data, we trace the historical narratives of how FyA defined poverty as a problem and developed new ways of organizing, from its foundation by a Jesuit priest in 1955 to its current networked structure. Our findings reveal the ongoing cycle of interpretive problem definition and organizing solutions for wicked problems. First, since there is no “true” formulation of a wicked problem, actors construct narrative explanations based on their understanding of the problem. Second, organizational solutions to a wicked problem are thus reflections of these narrative constructions. Third, emerging and changing narratives about what the problem is inspire new organizational responses. Our findings provide insights into the dynamic relationship between organizing for wicked problems, narratives, and the changing manifestations of wicked problems and grand challenges more broadly.

Purpose – This research aimed to identify the ideal concept of tourism development in Aceh Singkil, Indonesia, and to explain how the application of religious tourism is based on the society as a community. The community included three parties, namely, government, community, and private.

Methodology – For this research, both a qualitative approach and a phenomenological method were used to get the accurate results. Although the recent method used was a qualitative research approach, the data were discovered through three instruments: observation, interview, and documentation. Observation involved observing a variety of tourism activities in the field study as well as informants. While the interview was conducted by participant method, the data found were familiar without being engineered by the informant.

Finding – Aceh Singkil is one of the areas in Aceh Province that has good tourism potential including natural beauty resources, geographical location close to any district, and a diverse of community culture. However, the local government does not have ideal concepts to develop these resources. The pattern of development is still done in traditional ways without the involvement of private parties and the community. The local community is only used as an object of tourism activity and its existence is not so obviously involved. As a result, tourism in Aceh Singkil has no direction of development. Based on this research, it was found that the relevant tourism concepts to be developed in Aceh Singkil are based on religious tourism (Halal Tour), as Halal Tourism is a reflection of the culture of the Aceh Singkil community.

Research Limitations – This research has limitations on non-specific religious tourism and limited quantitative data as well as a vast range of research areas.

Originality/Value – Religious tourism research is the mainstay of research concepts in Islamic countries as well as in Indonesia especially in Aceh provincy, so it is necessary to find the ideal concept for its application and become an example for other regions in the future.

Purpose – This research analyzes and describes the implementation of the North Aceh Regency education budget policy for improving the quality of education in relationship to the impact of the special autonomy budget.

Design/Methodology/Approach – This research uses qualitative research, descriptive-qualitative analysis methods, and qualitative explorative methods.

Findings – The results show that the implementation of the special autonomy education budget policy of North Aceh Regency to improve the education quality has not run optimally. The main obstacle is the inadequate human resource issue, including the leadership problems of regional heads who should prioritize the development. Based on field data of the actors involved in the formulation of the education quality improvement program in Aceh Utara District, especially the legislative branch (namely BAPPEDA), the education office and members of the Aceh legislative team, the post-conflict Aceh representation of the legislature at the provincial level, the DPRA and DPRK at the district level / in the field of political will produced. The resulting program does not focus on the pattern of improving the quality of education, the policy is more rhetorical, and the program implementation is often adapted to the wishes of political actors.

Research Limitations/Implications – Given the fundamental differences in the root causes of primary and secondary education in Aceh, further research is needed to determine whether similar results will be obtained in other parts of Aceh.

Originality/Value – Identifies factors that lead to the low quality of educators and the unequal distribution of teachers in the Aceh Regency.

Paper Type – Research paper

Scalar terms, such as “local” and “global,” “big” and “small” are fundamental in how academics and practitioners make sense of and respond to grand challenges. Yet, scale is so taken-for-granted that we rarely question or critically reflect on the concept and how it is used. The aim of this paper is to identify scale as an important concept in research on grand challenges and to point out why taking scale for granted can be problematic. In particular, I suggest that to date most research on grand challenges sees scale as a fundamental ontological feature of the world. Yet, scalar categories and hierarchies are not as self-evident and given as they may seem. Moreover, taking scale as an ontological fixed category limits our ability to make sense of, theorize and respond to grand challenges. As an alternative, I suggest seeing scale as an epistemological frame that participants employ in their everyday practices to make sense of, navigate and develop solutions to grand challenges. The chapter concludes with a research agenda for studying scale as socially constructed in practice.