Past decades have witnessed a rise in the use of global performance indicators (GPIs) to influence states’ behavior. Within the development field, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established the practice of development governance through global goal-setting and performance monitoring – a practice that now continues with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But to what extent and how do GPIs influence the policies and practices of states? Is the change mainly rhetorical or more substantial? And how do GPIs affect the relations of power between different actors? In search of answers to these questions, this PhD thesis explores the degree and causal mechanisms of policy adjustment to MDG 3 – which aimed to promote gender equality – in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings have substantive implications for research and practice pertaining to the use and effectiveness of global performance assessments, the international promotion of gender equality and the implementation of the SDGs. Helena Hede Skagerlind is a researcher at the Department of Political Science, Stockholm University. Her main research interests are sustainable development, global governance, gender equality and CSR. Stockholm Studies in Politics 181 This is a Doctoral Thesis in Political Science at Stockholm University, Sweden 2019