LEITNER STUDIO
COLLABORATION

The first-ever sequence for solving the world’s biggest problems

193 countries agreed on the most important problems the world needed to solve. But the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals came with no guidance on where to start — 169 targets tied in a Gordian knot that The Economist estimated would cost $45 trillion to untangle.

What was missing wasn’t ambition. It was sequence. Not which problems matter most — the world would never get agreement on that — but which solutions enable other solutions. After all, when you build a house, you start with the foundation, not the roof.

Working with the OECD, Leitner surveyed 278 economists, political scientists, and social scientists from around the world to establish that sequence for the first time.

OECD · New America

THE RIGHT ORDER

Top 10 SDG targets in ideal sequence

  1. 1Promote rule of law
  2. 2Eliminate most extreme poverty
  3. 3Access to health care, vaccines & Rx
  4. 4Ensure women’s economic opportunity
  5. 5Government accountability
  6. 6Children graduate primary & secondary school
  7. 7End discrimination against women
  8. 8Access to safe drinking water
  9. 9Social, economic & political inclusion
  10. 10End corruption
  1. 11Access to energy
  2. 12End preventable infant death
  3. 13Literacy & numeracy for kids
  4. 14Equal opportunity in economic & public life
  5. 15Ensure equal access to legal rights
  6. 16Reduce poverty by half
  7. 17End violence against women
  8. 18Access to sanitation & hygiene
  9. 19End human trafficking, harsh labor etc.
  10. 20Improve tax collection
  11. 21Access to info
  12. 22Eliminate child abuse
  13. 23Provide affordable Internet access
  14. 24Develop resilient infrastructure
  15. 25Youth & young adult training & employment
  16. 26Ensure efficient use of natural resources
  17. 27Expand social protection for poor
  18. 28Reduce violence
  19. 29Boost economic productivity through diversification
  20. 30Expand sustainable resilient food production
  21. 31Safe migration of people
  22. 32Reduce maternal mortality
  23. 33Participatory planning
  24. 34Promote sustainable development
  25. 35Access to reproductive health care
  26. 36Enhance ability to gather data
  27. 37Tax policy for fossil fuels
  28. 38Curtail epidemic of communicable diseases
  29. 39Ensure year-round food
  30. 40Boost per-capita GDP
  31. 41Combat organized crime
  32. 42Reduce water pollution, water treatment
  33. 43Protect worker rights
  34. 44Safe accessible roads & public transit
  35. 45Conserve & manage forests
  36. 46Eliminate disparity in education
  37. 47Understanding of climate change & sustainable development
  38. 48Address biodiversity and climate change locally
  39. 49Understanding of human rights, nonviolence & diversity
  40. 50Safe & productive employment
  41. 51Prevent crime & terrorism
  42. 52Expand access to financial services for small businesses
  43. 53Access to legal identity
  44. 54Promote small & medium-size business
  45. 55Reduce waste through recycling
  46. 56Protect the vulnerable from economic, social & environmental disaster
  47. 57Promote civil society partnerships
  48. 58Halt loss of flora & fauna
  49. 59Water use efficiency
  50. 60Ensure access to housing
  51. 61Energy efficiency
  52. 62Combat water scarcity
  53. 63International efforts for governance, economics etc.
  54. 64Sustainable urbanization
  55. 65Increase investment in rural infrastructure & productive capacity
  56. 66Boost availability of teachers
  57. 67Strengthen ability to withstand natural disaster
  58. 68R&D for vaccine and Rx
  59. 69Boost employment & GDP of sustainable industry
  60. 70Combat desertification, restore degraded land
  61. 71Development aid & direct foreign investment
  62. 72Decouple local economic growth from environmental degradation
  63. 73End illegal fishing
  64. 74End poaching
  65. 75Return stolen assets
  66. 76Reduce transaction cost of migration
  67. 77Promote mental health & wellness
  68. 78Protect marine ecosystems
  69. 79Conserve terrestrial freshwater ecosystem
  70. 80Encourage environmentally sound industrial business
  71. 81Reduce food waste
  72. 82Hire & train health care workers
  73. 83Boost scientific R&D
  74. 84Double productivity of small-scale food producers
  75. 85Protect local cultural heritage
  76. 86Ensure access to financial services for small business
  77. 87Encourage biz to report sustainability efforts
  78. 88Reduce death & illness from pollution
  79. 89Improve chemical waste management
  80. 90Maintain genetic diversity of agricultural plants & animals
  81. 91Reduce death from non-communicable disease
  82. 92Reduce casualties from natural disaster
  83. 93Improve early warning of health risk
  84. 94Advance science & technology
  85. 95Minimize ocean acidification
  86. 96Protect local natural heritage
  87. 97Scholarships in emerging fields
  88. 98Promote sustainable public procurement
  89. 99Conserve coastal areas
  90. 100Reduce food price volatility
  91. 101Reduce marine pollution
  92. 102Expand sharing of genetic resources
  93. 103Support local tech R&D
  94. 104Integrated water management
  95. 105Value domestic labor
  96. 106Boost share of global exports
  97. 107Implement WHO tobacco plan
  98. 108Provide safe green space
  99. 109Regional planning for urban-rural connection
  100. 110Upgrade safety & accessibility of school buildings
  101. 111Boost marine science
  102. 112Develop environmental disaster plans
  103. 113Promote tourism, local culture
  104. 114Reduce road deaths
  105. 115Conserve mountains
  106. 116Provide fishermen access to markets
  107. 117Reverse effects of alien species on ecosystems

The original list included 169 targets. 52 were removed — either because they were redundant or because they applied only to specific country types, such as small island nations.

CONTRIBUTORS

278 economists, political scientists, and social scientists from institutions including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, the World Bank, IMF, OECD, Brookings, Carnegie Endowment, and the London School of Economics.

Dr. Andrew Abbott (University of Chicago) · Mr. Ammar Abu Zayyad (Open Society Foundations) · Mr. Brad Adams (Human Rights Watch) · Dr. Jonathan Addleton (USAID) · Ms. Liwayway Adkins (OECD) · Dr. Nikhil Agarwal (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) · Mr. Shardul Agrawala (OECD) · Ms. Aziza Akhmouch (OECD) · Mr. Abdulwahab Alkebsi (Center for International Private Enterprise) · Mr. Mark Allen (Center for Social & Economic Research) · Dr. Tim Allen (London School of Economics) · Dr. Laura Diaz Anadon (Harvard University) · Ms. Cheryl Anderson (USAID) · Dr. Belinda Archibong (Columbia University) · Ms. Nazanin Ash (Center for Global Development) · Mr. Andrew Auerbach (OECD) · Dr. Joao Pedro Azevdo (World Bank) · Ms. Raya Barazanji (United States Institute of Peace) · Mr. Owen Barder (Center for Global Development) · Mr. Sebastian Barnes (OECD) · Dr. Robert Barro (Harvard University) · Mr. Kristof Bender (European Stability Initiative) · Ms. Joelline Benefice (OECD) · Mr. Vincent Benezech (OECD) · Mr. Emmanuel Bergasse (Center for Social & Economic Research) · Ms. Monica Bhatia (OECD) · Ms. Romina Boarini (OECD) · Mr. Federico Bonaglia (OECD) · Dr. Reuben Brigety II (Council on Foreign Relations) · Ms. Kaysie Brown (United Nations Foundation) · Ms. Tihana Bule (OECD) · Dr. Daniel Calingaert (Freedom House) · Mr. Neil Campbell (Open Society Foundations) · Ms. Ivana Capozza (OECD) · Mr. David Caprara (Brookings Institution) · Mr. Thomas Carothers (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Mr. Duncan Cass Beggs (OECD) · Dr. Miguel Centeno (Princeton University) · Mr. Laurence Chandy (Brookings Institution) · Ms. Sarah Chayes (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Dr. John Ciorciari (University of Michigan) · Ms. Peggy Clark (Aspen Institute) · Dr. William Cline (Peterson Institute for International Economics) · Mr. Guillaume Cohen (OECD) · Dr. Matt Collin (World Bank) · Dr. Susan Collins (University of Michigan) · Ms. Francesca Colombo (OECD) · Dr. Joseph Conti (University of Wisconsin) · Ms. Laura Cozzi (OECD) · Ms. Mollie Cretsinger (OECD) · Ms. Yvonne Darkwa-Poku (MacArthur Foundation) · Dr. Reinout De Bock (International Monetary Fund) · Dr. Irineu de Carvalho Filho (International Monetary Fund) · Mr. George Deikun (USAID) · Mr. Alex Deprez (USAID) · Dr. Raj Desai (Brookings Institution) · Dr. Larry Diamond (National Endowment for Democracy) · Mr. Ben Dickinson (OECD) · Ambassador Paula Dobriansky (Harvard University) · Ms. Ebba Dohlman (OECD) · Dr. Daniel Drezner (Brookings Institution) · Mr. Jean-Christophe Dumont (OECD) · Mr. Charles Dunne (Middle East Institute) · Dr. Michele Dunne (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Ms. Casey Dunning (Millennium Challenge Corporation) · Dr. William Easterly (New York University) · Ambassador Eric Edelman (United States Institute of Peace) · Mr. John Egan (OECD) · Mr. Poul Engberg Pedersen (OECD) · Dr. Ivan Ermakoff (University of Wisconsin) · Dr. Jean-Paul Faguet (London School of Economics) · Dean Lee Feinstein (Indiana University) · Dr. Raquel Fernandez (New York University) · Dr. Catherine Fieschi (Counterpoint) · Dr. Mike Findley (University of Texas) · Dean Marilyn Flynn (University of Southern California) · Mr. Robert Ford (OECD) · Ms. Marta Foresti (Overseas Development Institute) · Mr. Martin Forst (OECD) · Dr. Marion Fourcade (University of California - Berkeley) · Mr. Douglas Frantz (OECD) · Ms. Lynn Fredriksson (Freedom House) · Dr. Caroline Freund (Peterson Institute for International Economics) · Professor Julia Fromholtz (Arizona State University) · Ms. Sara Fyson (OECD) · Ms. Lauren Galacia (Freedom House) · Mr. Arvind Ganesan (Human Rights Watch) · Mr. Tom Garrett (International Republican Institute) · Dr. Alan Gelb (Center for Global Development) · Dr. Gaston Gelos (International Monetary Fund) · Mr. Carl Gershman (National Endowment for Democracy) · Mr. Daniel Gerson (OECD) · Mr. Michael Gestrin (OECD) · Ms. Gargee Ghosh (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) · Dr. John Glenn (U.S. Global Leadership Coalition) · Mr. James Goldston (Open Society Foundations) · Dr. Stuart Gordon (London School of Economics) · Mr. Michael Green (Social Progress Imperative) · Ms. Shannon Green (Center for Strategic & International Studies) · Ms. Louisa Greve (National Endowment for Democracy) · Dr. Lloyd Gruber (London School of Economics) · Mr. Alejandro Guerrero Ruiz (OECD) · Mr. Jeffrey Gutman (Brookings Institution) · Ms. Barbara Haig (National Endowment for Democracy) · Dr. Morton Halperin (Open Society Foundations) · Mr. David Harden (USAID) · Dr. Caroline Harper (Overseas Development Institute) · Mr. Masato Hayashikawa (OECD) · Mr. Edward Hedger (Overseas Development Institute) · Dr. Robert Herman (Freedom House) · Dr. Gary Herrigel (University of Chicago) · Mr. Paul Horrocks (OECD) · Ms. Irène Hors (OECD) · Mr. Scott Hubli (National Democratic Institute) · Dr. Macartan Humphreys (Columbia University) · Mr. William Hynes (OECD) · Dr. Elena Jarocinska (Center for Social & Economic Research) · Mr. Stephen Johnson (International Republican Institute) · Ms. Karen Jorgensen (OECD) · Dr. Sigrun Kahl (Yale University) · Dr. Robert Kahn (Council on Foreign Relations) · Dr. Dean Karlan (Yale University) · Ms. Katia Karousakis (OECD) · Ms. Rima Kawas (International Republican Institute) · Mr. Mark Keese (OECD) · Dr. Daniel Keniston (Yale University) · Mr. Homi Kharas (Brookings Institution) · Mr. Adnan Kifayat (The German Marshall Fund) · Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Mr. Gerald Knaus (European Stability Initiative) · Mr. David Kramer (Arizona State University) · Dr. Melvyn Krauss (Stanford University) · Mr. T. Kumar (Amnesty International USA) · Mr. Andrzej Kwiecinski (OECD) · Ambassador Mark Lagon (Freedom House) · Mr. Frans Lammersen (OECD) · Mr. Edwin Lau (OECD) · Mr. Xavier Leflaive (OECD) · Ambassador Maria Leissner (Community of Democracies) · Mr. Patrick Lenain (OECD) · Dr. Phil Levy (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) · Dr. Santiago Levy (Inter-American Development Bank) · Ms. Carina Lindberg (OECD) · Dr. Johannes Linn (Brookings Institution) · Ms. Myriam Linster (OECD) · Dr. Sida Liu (University of Wisconsin) · Ms. Clare Lockhart (Yale University) · Dr. Kristin Lord (IREX) · Mr. Barry Lowenkron (The German Marshall Fund) · Mr. Hans Lundgren (OECD) · Mr. Derek Luyten (International Republican Institute) · Mr. Rahul Malhotra (OECD) · Ms. Sarah Margon (Human Rights Watch) · Mr. Jean-Francois Marteau (World Bank) · Ms. Elisa Massimino (Human Rights First) · Mr. Michael Matera (Center for Strategic & International Studies) · Dr. John Mukum Mbaku (Brookings Institution) · Mr. John McArthur (Brookings Institution) · Dr. Rachel McCleary (Harvard University) · Ms. Ida Mcdonnell (OECD) · Mr. Stephen McInerney (Project on Middle East Democracy) · Mr. Thomas Melia (USAID) · Ambassador Sarah Mendelson (United Nations) · Ms. Mathilde Mesnard (OECD) · Mr. Duncan Millard (OECD) · Dr. Prachi Mishra (International Monetary Fund) · Dr. Philipa Mladovsky (London School of Economics) · Mr. John Morrell (Center for International Private Enterprise) · Dr. Todd Moss (Center for Global Development) · Mr. Patrick Moulette (OECD) · Ms. Susan Nicolai (Overseas Development Institute) · Ms. Julia Nielson (OECD) · Mr. Stephen Nix (International Republican Institute) · Ms. Ana Novik (OECD) · Ms. Keiko Nowacka (OECD) · Mr. Paul O’Brien (OECD) · Mr. Robin Ogilvy (OECD) · Mr. Joaquim Oliveira Martins (OECD) · Dr. Benjamin Olken (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) · Mr. Adam Ostry (OECD) · Ms. Beth Paige (USAID) · Ms. Maura Pally (Clinton Foundation) · Ms. Sara Pantuliano (Overseas Development Institute) · Dr. Stewart Patrick (Council on Foreign Relations) · Ambassador Mary Ann Peters (The Carter Center) · Dr. Michael Peters (Yale University) · Mr. Vukasin Petrovic (Freedom House) · Mr. Stephen Pickford (Chatham House) · Dr. Helene Poirson (International Monetary Fund) · Ms. Cindy Pollet (OECD) · Dr. Carlos Ponce (Freedom House) · Dr. Christian Pop-Eleches (Columbia University) · Dr. Lant Pritchett (Center for Global Development) · Mr. Arch Puddington (Freedom House) · Ms. Roberta Quadrelli (OECD) · Dr. Vijaya Ramachandran (Center for Global Development) · Mr. Shaun Reidy (OECD) · Mr. Jan Rielaender (OECD) · Dr. Kenneth Rogoff (Council on Foreign Relations) · Mr. Daniel Runde (Center for Strategic & International Studies) · Mr. Doug Rutzen (International Center for Not-for-Profit Law) · Ms. Angelica Salvi Del Pero (OECD) · Mr. Conor Savoy (Center for Strategic & International Studies) · Dr. Yezid Sayigh (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Rep. Marietje Schaake (European Parliament) · Dr. Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University) · Mr. Marc Schleifer (Center for International Private Enterprise) · Ms. Liz Schrayer (U.S. Global Leadership Coalition) · Ms. Rachel Scott (OECD) · Mr. Simon Scott (OECD) · Dr. Brad Setser (Council on Foreign Relations) · Ms. Anita Sharma (United Nations Foundation) · Ms. Ritu Sharma (Center for Strategic & International Studies) · Ms. Cecile Shea (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) · Ms. Shruti Singh (OECD) · Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter (New America) · Ms. Dina Smeltz (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) · Dr. Juan Sole (International Monetary Fund) · Dr. Konstantin Sonin (University of Chicago) · Mr. Ernesto Soria Morales (OECD) · Mr. Joseph Stead (OECD) · Dr. Maria Stephan (United States Institute of Peace) · Dr. John Sullivan (Center for International Private Enterprise) · Dr. Ann Swidler (University of California - Berkeley) · Mr. Wieslaw Szczuka (World Bank) · Dr. Theodore Talbot (Center for Global Development) · Ms. Cristina Tebar Less (OECD) · Mr. Stephen Thomsen (OECD) · Dr. Tomicah Tillemann (New America) · Dr. Camilo Tovar (International Monetary Fund) · Dr. Cihan Ziya Tugal (University of California - Berkeley) · Dr. Christopher Udry (Yale University) · Dr. Milan Vaishnav (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Mr. Joao Vasconcelos (OECD) · Dr. Eric Verhoogen (Columbia University) · Mr. Jose Miguel Vivanco (Human Rights Watch) · Ambassador Kurt Volker (Arizona State University) · Dr. James Walsh (International Monetary Fund) · Dr. Susan Waltz (University of Michigan) · Mr. Michael Ward (OECD) · Dr. Alfred Watkins (Global Solutions Summit) · Dr. Catherine Weaver (University of Texas) · Dr. Eric Weese (Kobe University, Japan) · Dr. Barry Weingast (Stanford University) · Mr. Thomas Weko (OECD) · Ms. Sarah Leah Whitson (Human Rights Watch) · Dr. Dirk Willem te Velde (Overseas Development Institute) · Ambassador Clint Williamson (Arizona State University) · Mr. Damon Wilson (The Atlantic Council) · Ms. Karen Wilson (OECD) · Dr. Jonathan Wyrtzen (Yale University) · Dr. Anna Wziatek-Kubiak (Center for Social & Economic Research) · Ms. Talita Yamashiro Fordelone (OECD) · Dr. Richard Youngs (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) · Mr. Ziga Zarnic (OECD) · Mr. John Zemko (Center for International Private Enterprise) · Mr. Roman Zhukovskyi (World Bank) · Mr. Felix Zimmermann (OECD)