scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX (ESSI)

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amna Faisal ◽  
Bahadir Tunaboylu ◽  
Ismail Koyuncu

Sustainable development and globalization are becoming important subjects for policy makers to formulate the worldwide strategies and rubrics for ensuring simultaneous adoption of its components and monitoring of its consequences. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) published by United Nations are the guidelines to incorporate the assurance of sustainable development and its globalization. This study analyzes the sustainability from the perspective of not just the environment and the ecosystem of globe but also from the health and social aspects of humans. Indexes such as Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and Social progress Imperative (SPI) measure the performance of different countries based on the environment and the ecosystem by following Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and social goals, separately. However, the parameters used in those indices have significant limitations. In this work, the proposed Environmental and Social Sustainability Index (ESSI) offers a new model whereby new relevant sustainability parameters including social progress indicators are used to measure the performance of countries based on SDGs by using reliable data from international organizations. Finally, countries are categorized according to sustainable development goals that highlight the importance and significance of each sustainability parameter especially for developing and under developed nations.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetyana Pimonenko ◽  
Oleksii Lyulyov ◽  
Olena Chygryn ◽  
Maksim Palienko

The paper deals with the analysis of methodology of Environmental Performance Index. The authors analyzed and systematized the main existing integrated indices, which were used for evaluation of environmental, social and economic situation in the countries. The authors allocated the environmental performance index as a basis for analyzing the environmental policy of the country. In this direction, the authors analysed the main features, structure and indicators of environmental performance index. The authors allocated the world-leader countries with huge level of CO2 emissions. According to the results, the authors aproved that these countries should improve their environmental policy. Accordingly, they occupied less position in environmental performance index. For the purpose to analyze the relation between ecological, social and economic welfare, the authors analyzed score of sustainable development goal index, social progress index and gross domestic product per capita. The comparison analysis of findings showed that countries with good position on environmental performance index have the strong position on sustainable development goal index and social progress index. The authors suggested that Ukraine should orient to the EU countries with purpose to improve the environmental policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10518
Author(s):  
Raquel Ajates ◽  
Gerid Hager ◽  
Pavlos Georgiadis ◽  
Saskia Coulson ◽  
Mel Woods ◽  
...  

This article reports on Citizen Observatories’ (COs) potential to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reflecting on the experience of the GROW Observatory (GROW). The research aims to take the first steps in closing the gap in the literature on COs’ potential contributions to the SDG framework, beyond quantitative data contributions for indicator monitoring. Following an analysis of project activities and outcomes mapped against the SDG framework, the findings reveal GROW’s potential contributions across two dimensions: (i) Actions to advance the implementation of goals and targets through awareness raising and training; participatory methods; multi-stakeholder connections; and supporting citizens to move from data to action and (ii) Data contributions to SDG indicator monitoring through citizen-generated datasets. While earlier research has focused mostly on the latter (dimension ii), CO activities can impact numerous goals and targets, highlighting their potential to relate global SDGs to local level action, and vice versa. These findings align with the growing literature on COs’ ability to bring together policy makers, scientists and citizens, and support changes to environmental policy and practice. Furthermore, this research suggests groundwork activities that address the goal and target level can also enhance sustained data collection to contribute to indicator level monitoring. We conclude with future trends and recommendations for COs wishing to contribute to the SDGs.


Author(s):  
Nur Farhah Mahadi ◽  
Nor Razinah Mohd. Zain ◽  
Shamsuddeen Muhammad Ahmad

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of Islamic social finance towards realising financial inclusion in achieving nine of the seventeen goals of sustainable development goals (SDGs) which are SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, SDG4, SDG5, SDG8, SDG9, SDG10, and SDG17 in the 2030 agenda for SDGs, as propagated by United Nations Member States in 2015. Then, a critical analysis is made to explain the possible contribution of Islamic social finance in achieving financial inclusion which is aligned with SDGs that brings balanced to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual of the community in supporting overall economic growth which finally combats the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research and empirical studies can be conducted to explore the relationship between Islamic social finance, financial inclusion, and SDGs which in tandem with Maqᾱṣid al-Sharῑ῾ah to equip ourselves in unpredictable economic hiccups during COVID-19. The results may also motivate the financial industries to promote Islamic social finance products and corporate social responsibilities as well as enhance the development of Islamic social finance towards achieving financial inclusion in fulfilling SDGs which soon will provide significant social impacts as the results will enable new initiatives by industries and policy makers to develop Islamic social finance in attaining financial inclusion to achieve SDGs which is seen as being parallel with Maqᾱṣid al-Sharῑ῾ah especially in resolving economic issues of COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Giulia Netti

This paper is a qualitative research, deals with studying which communication strategy is used by politicians, whether explorational, exploitative, or ambidextrous communication and how citizens, instead, view such strategy choices carried out by politicians. Moreover, the study analyzes whether ambidextrous communication strategies allow citizens to achieve greater knowledge and awareness regarding sustainability issues (SDGs), compared to what occurs if the politician uses a different communication strategy.The Study 1 was conducted through a semi-structured interview to Italian parliamentarians (senators and deputies) of the XVII and XVIII legislatures. The number of parliamentarians who agreed to the interview was 24 parliamentarians.In the study 2 a survey was conducted on a sample of Italian citizens through various communication channels, mainly through Whastapp and Facebook. The final aim of survey to identify whether the joint use of both communication channels may reinforce citizens’ awareness about sustainable development goals. The citizens what responded to the survey were 289.The results of the two studies show that the use of ambidextrous communication strategy, ie the joint use of the exploitative and explorational communications, is preferred by politicians to the use of only one of the strategies and that there is a positive correlation between the ambidextrous communication strategy of politicians and greater awareness of citizens about sustainability issues (SDGs). These results demonstrate that the hypotheses identified are supported.Although this study has significant implications for how politicians should communicate, it also has different limits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyabrata Chowdhury ◽  
Rezaul Shumon

Traditionally, it is believed that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not have enough ability to adopt and persistently practice social sustainability. This is because SMEs are not capital-intensive companies and neither are their returns nor skills. At the same time, the wellbeing of the employees in SMEs cannot be ensured and sustainable development goals cannot be achieved without making SMEs socially sustainable, as they account for the majority of world businesses. Moreover, the expectation of the stakeholders and subsequent pressure on SMEs to practicing social sustainability remains. Such pressure from the stakeholders creates a “mismatch problem” between stakeholders’ expectations and SMEs’ abilities to adopt socially sustainable practices. This study aims to explore what factors are responsible for this “mismatch problem”, and how SMEs can handle this mismatch to be socially sustainable firms. Based on a rigorous literature review, this study reveals that both internal issues, such as a lack of resources and awareness, and external issues, such as the non-existence of a tailored social sustainability standard for SMEs and lack of institutional support, are responsible for this gap. This study develops several propositions that highlight the requirements in various situations and provides strategies outlining the implications for SMEs and their stakeholders to make SMEs socially sustainable. Overall, this study discloses that cooperative support from stakeholders, especially during a disruption such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a finance mechanism, the development of awareness and human capital in SMEs, and a unified standard for SMEs are likely to improve social sustainability practices in SMEs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenwu Zhao ◽  
Bojie Fu ◽  
Yanxu Liu

<p>Human interactions with Earth systems have accelerated dramatically in recent decades. Human activities are altering the Earth system and exerting significant impacts on the environment, and undermining improvements in human wellbeing and poverty alleviation. In order to secure global prosperity and transform to global sustainability, United Nations launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. The goals include efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and to consolidate efforts to slow climate change and preserve our world environment. The process of implementing the SDGs has created new challenges for policy makers and for the scientific community. Half of the Sustainable Development Goals are related to environment and natural resources. Geographical Science is one of the most important KEY for sustainable development. Geographers have been conducting various experiments and modelling at multi-scales, and tried to identify the relationships between human activities and various earth surface processes, dwell on ecosystem processes and ecosystem services trade off at multi-scale, model the effects of human activity and earth systems, and try to figure out the possible sustainable solutions for regional, national and global developments. It’s time to launch a new journal focus on Geography and Sustainability for the world. That’s why, Faculty of Geographical Science (Beijing Normal University) start to publish the new journal: Geography and Sustainability. The new journal focus on: Geographical processes, Human-Environmental Systems, Ecosystem services and human being, Sustainable development, Geo-data and model for Sustainability. The new journal is also the office journal for IGU Commission on Geography for Future Earth: Coupled Human-Earth Systems for Sustainability.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Bennett ◽  
Nasreen Jessani ◽  
Douglas Glandon ◽  
Mary Qiu ◽  
Kerry Scott ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Given the paradigmatic shift represented by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as compared to the Millennium Development Goals - in particular their broad and interconnected nature - a new set of health policy and systems research (HPSR) priorities are needed to inform strategies to address these interconnected goals. Objectives To identify high priority HPSR questions linked to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Methods We focused on three themes that we considered to be central to achieving the health related SDGs: (i) Protecting and promoting access to health services through systems of social protection (ii) Strengthening multisectoral collaborations for health and (iii) Developing more participatory and accountable institutions. We conducted 54 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions to investigate policy-maker perspectives on evidence needs. We also conducted an overview of literature reviews in each theme. Information from these sub-studies was extracted into a matrix of possible research questions and developed into three domain-specific lists of 30–36 potential priority questions. Topic experts from the global research community then refined and ranked the proposed questions through an online platform. A final webinar on each theme sought feedback on findings. Results Policy-makers continue to demand HPSR for many well-established issues such as health financing, human resources for health, and service delivery. In terms of service delivery, policy-makers wanted to know how best to strengthen primary health care and community-based systems. In the themes of social protection and multisectoral collaboration, prioritized questions had a strong emphasis on issues of practical implementation. For participatory and accountable institutions, the two priority questions focused on political factors affecting the adoption of accountability measures, as well as health worker reactions to such measures. Conclusions To achieve the SDGs, there is a continuing need for research in some already well established areas of HPSR as well as key areas highlighted by decision-makers. Identifying appropriate conceptual frameworks as well as typologies of examples may be a prerequisite for answering some of the substantive policymaker questions. In addition, implementation research engaging non-traditional stakeholders outside of the health sector will be critical.


2021 ◽  
pp. 77-88
Author(s):  
Jock R. Anderson ◽  
Latha Nagarajan ◽  
Anwar Naseem ◽  
Carl E. Pray ◽  
Thomas A. Reardon

Achieving food security for all has long been a major objective in public policy around the world, and even globally as enshrined in the contemporary UN Sustainable Development Goals. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 creates additional challenges to food policy-makers and the paper charts some key elements of response to these challenges.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anam Javeed ◽  
Muhammad Yar Khan ◽  
Mobashar Rehman ◽  
Asif Khurshid

PurposeThe aim of this study is to gather and analyse the information regarding the level of awareness and commitment of the public as well as the organizations of Pakistan pertaining to sustainable development goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachA sample of 500 respondents in total including employs and general public is selected for their opinion regarding SDGs. The data was collected by personal administration of questionnaires in organizations and general public. The data has been collected from federal and provincial capitals of Pakistan. The data has been analysed using Smart PLS and the hypothesized relationships have been tested using regression analysis.FindingsThe level of awareness as well as level of commitment towards the fulfilment of SDGs varies across the cities of Pakistan according to the business volume and their affiliation with the United Nations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has been conducted in Pakistan only however a cross-country implementation of the framework and comparison would have yielded more in-depth facts.Practical implicationsThis study provides the policy makers with the ground-level data regarding the awareness and commitment of Pakistani organizations and public towards SDG fulfilment. A glance towards the attitudes of the people towards the subject could also be seen through this study. It could be further utilized and referred by other researchers for comparison with their own studies regarding SDGs.Originality/valueThis a comprehensive study conducted at federal and provincial level of Pakistan which has yielded ground realities towards the implementation of SDGs. The results could be used for policy making and planning at national level.


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