scholarly journals Sustainable Development Indicators—Untapped Tools for Sustainability and STEM Education: An Analysis of a Popular Czech Educational Website

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Eva Stratilová Urválková ◽  
Petra Surynková
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Text Search ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Water Parameters ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Waste Production ◽  
Pedagogical Institute

Environmental education has been included in Czech curricula since the 1980s, albeit without clear evidence of education for sustainable development (SD), which addresses complex socio-economic issues using SD indicators (SDIs), such as charts, single numbers, tables, maps, and (interactive) images. However, understanding such a comprehensive topic requires developing basic mathematical knowledge and skills. In this study, we aimed to analyse the nature, quality, and availability of teaching materials for SD, primarily using SDIs, which could be applied by Czech teachers. For this purpose, we performed a qualitative and basic quantitative content analysis of several descriptors of documents retrieved from a website for teachers, provided by the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic. A full-text search identified 1376 records, which were analyzed for SD pillars and SDIs. Our results showed that most records (95%) do not contain SDIs in teaching materials. Only 59 records mentioned (128) SDIs, mostly covering the environmental pillar, 26 of which contain a single SDI. The most frequent issues were waste production, treatment, savings, water parameters, and energy consumption. Mathematical skills were used in 56 SDIs, primarily for evaluating data sets and quantitative expressions of an amount. Overall, only a small number of SDIs are used in education for SD, economic and social SDIs are in the minority, and the STEM potential remains untapped.

Challenges of the Crisis: How to Measure Sustainable Development?

2015 ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bobylev ◽  
N. Zubarevich ◽  
S. Solovyeva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Calculation Methods ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Index ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Sustainable Development Indicators ◽  
Adjusted Net Savings

The article emphasizes the fact that traditional socio-economic indicators do not reflect the challenges of sustainable development adequately, and this is particularly true for the widely-used GDP indicator. In this connection the elaboration of sustainable development indicators is needed, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. For Russia, adaptation and use of concepts and basic principles of calculation methods for adjusted net savings index (World Bank) and human development index (UNDP) as integral indicators can be promising. The authors have developed the sustainable development index for Russia, which aggregates and allows taking into account balanced economic, social and environmental indicators.

Sustainable Development Through Innovation In Service Sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-178
Author(s):  
Ilie Banu ◽  
Ioana Madalina Butiuc
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Slow Recovery ◽  
Quality Research ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Economic Cycles ◽  
Sustainable Development Indicators ◽  
Research And Innovation

AbstractRegarding the economic crises and the slow recovery that still continues, we believe that a solution can be improving the capacity to research and innovate in order to achieve sustainable development. Another key issue of the paper is about developing the cooperation between academia and business. The challenge of this development is how to increase the amount to finance research and innovation that can be implemented in the economy. As a global solution, to this problem we can recommend, for example, reducing tax evasion and by fiscal education. Also particular sources have to be found in order to develop innovation on SME level. It is essential for innovation to make quality research in order to be better prepared and increase adaptability to economic cycles. The aim of the paper is to find out how service innovation and cooperation between academia and business can enhance sustainable development indicators. The conclusions of the paper are structured in particular proposals and recommendations.

Insect vectors and their relationship with sustainable development indicators in neighborhoods of Natal, Northeastern Brazil

Gaia Scientia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-194
Author(s):  
Paulo Sérgio Fagundes Araujo ◽  
Maria Cristiana da Silva Souto ◽  
Paulo Roberto Medeiros de Azevedo ◽  
Maria de Fatima Freire de Melo Ximenes
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Insect Vectors ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
High Positive Correlation ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Sustainable Development Indicators ◽  
Sustainability Index

This study aimed to correlate sustainable development indicators with the occurrence of mosquitoes from the genus Aedes and phlebotominae sand flies, vectors of dengue fever, American visceral leishmaniasis and American tegumentary leishmaniasis, in order to establish a relationship between infestation indices and sustainability conditions in southern and northern neighborhoods of Natal, Brazil, adjacent to environmental protection zones 5 and 9, respectively. Data were obtained on Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus breeding sites and captures of phlebotominae sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia in the study area between 2006 and 2008, from the Center of Zoonosis Control of the Municipal Health Secretariat, and correlated with environmental and social indicators. Factorial analysis was applied to transform these indicators into a sustainability index for each neighborhood studied (Neighborhood Sustainability Index – NSI). Relating these indices with the occurrence of insect vectors at these sites shows a high positive correlation between SID and the Breteau index of A. aegypti (p=0.028) and with the index of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies (p=0.01). This reveals a pattern allowing the association of sustainability conditions in the study areas with the occurrence of these insects. Analyses demonstrate the occurrence of a larger number of A. aegypti breeding sites and higher indices of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies in neighborhoods with lower sustainability indices. Knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development indicators and the occurrence of zoonotic vectors may contribute to public health programs as well as to a restructuring of public policies in the study areas.

scholarly journals The Effects of Reverse Knowledge Spillover on China’s Sustainable Development: Sustainable Development Indicators Based on Institutional Quality

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1628
Author(s):  
Xiaoxu Dong ◽  
Cheon Yu ◽  
Yun Seop Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Knowledge Spillover ◽  
Simultaneous Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
The One

This study investigates how reverse knowledge spillover (RKS) generated through outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) promotes sustainable development in an investment home country. Economic, social, and environmental dimensions are the pillars of sustainable development and their indicators are developed upon the concept of institutional quality. To this end, we use a balanced panel of 30 Chinese Mainland provinces from 2003 to 2016 and employ a simultaneous equation model to analyze the data in order to observe the direct and indirect effects of OFDI-induced RKS on sustainable development. The current study adopts several indicators to capture the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainable development. Additionally, we classify RKS into two types, given the investment destinations in terms of developed economies and emerging economies. On the one hand, our findings confirm that OFDI-induced RKS from developed economies facilitates domestic innovation but negatively affects progress on social and environmental development. On the other hand, OFDI-induced RKS from emerging economies is not conducive to domestic innovation, but it directly fosters sustainable development.

scholarly journals A Holistic Approach to Integrate and Evaluate Sustainable Development in Higher Education. The Case Study of the University of the Basque Country

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Estibaliz Sáez de Cámara ◽  
Idoia Fernández ◽  
Nekane Castillo-Eguskitza
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
The University

Since the United Nations (UN) approved the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in 2015, higher education institutions have increasingly demonstrated their commitment by supporting several initiatives. Although a great deal of progress has been made, there is still a lack of integrative approaches to truly implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education. This paper presents a practical case that illustrates how to design and articulate SDGs within an institutional setting adopting a holistic approach: EHUagenda 2030 plan of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). It is based on empirical inquiry into global and holistic sustainable transformation and a real experience to move towards a verifiable and pragmatic contribution to sustainability. This plan describes the contribution to 12 of the 17 SDGs, along with three sectorial plans (Equality Campus, Inclusion Campus and Planet Campus), as well as the refocus of the UPV/EHU’s Educational Model and the panel of sustainable development indicators, which addresses the technical aspects of monitoring the SDGs. The methodology (mapping; mainstreaming; diagnosis and definition and, finally, estimation) is systematic and replicable in other universities yet to embark upon this integration. This case study makes a contribution towards the understanding of the complexity of the changes in Higher Education and the ways to approach it.

scholarly journals Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the 2030 Horizon

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 909
Author(s):  
Fernando Crecente ◽  
María Sarabia ◽  
María Teresa del Val
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Responsible Behavior ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
European Economies ◽  
The Relationship

(1) Background: this paper analyzes the relationship between entrepreneurship and sustainability following the worldwide reference of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework set by the United Nations. Nowadays, these SDGs are the inspiration for many types of entrepreneurship that combine value creation with conservation and social protection. (2) Methods: using the indicators provided by Eurostat in its section called “Sustainable development indicators”, we have developed a dataset of 21 variables applied to the European Union (EU27) for the period 2013–2017. (3) Results: the results hold that these SDGs have favored a climate of change in the European economies towards more responsible behavior on the part of society, institutions, and their business fabric, creating new sustainable entrepreneurship. (4) Conclusions: the promotion of the SDGs has contributed to increasing the rate of entrepreneurial activity in the period 2013–2017.

New Evidence on Eastern Europe's Pollution Progress

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
National Level ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Local Public Good ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Good Improvement ◽  
New Evidence

Abstract Under communism, Eastern Europe's cities were significantly more polluted than their Western European counterparts. An unintended consequence of communism's decline is to improve urban environmental quality. This paper uses several new data sets to measure these gains. National level data are used to document the extent of convergence across nations in sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions. Based on a panel data set from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, ambient sulfur dioxide levels have fallen both because of composition and technique effects. The incidence of this local public good improvement is analyzed.

scholarly journals Inclusive Growth in CEE Countries as a Determinant of Sustainable Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Cichowicz ◽  
Ewa Rollnik-Sadowska
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Transition Economies ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Development Research ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
Eastern European Countries

Pursuant to the concept of inclusive growth, the authors analyze the transition economies of Central and Eastern European countries, which have become EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia). CEE countries characterized by comparable historic and economic backgrounds now seem to reach diversified stages of development. The objective of the study is to identify the level of inclusive growth among CEE countries by taking into account indicators assigned to its seven pillars. The article’s thesis is that CEE countries represent social and economic heterogeneity as well as varied levels of sustainable development. Research methods included the application of the principal components analysis and the multivariate analysis. For a literature review, the bibliometric analysis was conducted with the visualization prepared by the VOSviewer software. The main findings suggest that Estonia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic seem to exhibit the highest level of inclusive growth while Bulgaria and Romania represent the lowest level of indicators measured.

scholarly journals Can Indicators Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy? An Exploration into the (Non)Use and (Non)Influence of Indicators in EU and UK Policy Making

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léa Sébastien ◽  
Tom Bauler ◽  
Markku Lehtonen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Energy Indicators ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Evidence For Policy ◽  
The Eu

This article examines the various roles that indicators, as boundary objects, can play as a science-based evidence for policy processes. It presents two case studies from the EU-funded POINT project that analyzed the use and influence of two highly different types of indicators: composite indicators of sustainable development at the EU level and energy indicators in the UK. In both cases indicators failed as direct input to policy making, yet they generated various types of conceptual and political use and influence. The composite sustainable development indicators served as “framework indicators”, helping to advocate a specific vision of sustainable development, whereas the energy indicators produced various types of indirect influence, including through the process of indicator elaboration. Our case studies demonstrate the relatively limited importance of the characteristics and quality of indicators in determining the role of indicators, as compared with the crucial importance of “user factors” (characteristics of policy actors) and “policy factors” (policy context).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document