scholarly journals Assessing Sustainable Development: Toward a Portfolio of Indices?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Yacouba Gnegne
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Index ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
Definition Of

This paper selects and discusses indices that seem to be more connected to the definition of development sustainability and/or allow taking into account issues of weak sustainability and strong sustainability systematically. I appreciate them mostly in terms of their ability to provide information on the fulfilment of human needs sustainably. I defend the idea that rather than being measured through a single index, the assessment of sustainable development requires a mix of indices. The main finding is that this portfolio must meet the triptych: current well-being, sustainability of well-being and environmental sustainability. In this regard, indices such as the HDI, the adjusted net saving and the ecological footprint may constitute such a mix or portfolio.

Financial capabilities development: essential discourse in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerable Households ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.

Measuring sustainable development: progress on indicators

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pearce ◽  
Kirk Hamilton ◽  
Giles Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
National Income ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Important Conclusion ◽  
Genuine Savings ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
Key Indicators

ABSTRACTThe search for sustainability indicators should be guided by a theory of sustainable development (SD). In this paper we investigate two such theoretical frameworks and the indicators that they suggest. Indicators associated with weak sustainability are characterized by aggregative indicators such as green national income. We conclude, however, that a more promising offshoot of green accounting is measures of genuine savings (i.e. savings adjusted for loss of assets). To achieve SD, genuine savings rates must not be persistently negative. Strong sustainability indicators accord a more central role to the conservation of critical natural assets within the broader goal of prudently managing a nation's portfolio of assets over time. We discuss two approaches—carrying capacity and resilience—and conclude that, while measures of resilience are potentially attractive, more research is required regarding the resilience–SD link. However, an important conclusion that we can make is that, even in an economy operating under a strong sustainability regime, genuine savings are still key indicators of SD and are complementary to measures of changes in stocks of critical natural assets.

scholarly journals Recoupling Economic and Social Prosperity

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Lima de Miranda ◽  
Dennis J. Snower
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Technological Advance ◽  
Economic Prosperity ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Environmental Performance Index ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Social Belonging ◽  
Material Gain ◽  
New Perspective

This paper explores a new theoretical and empirical approach to the assessment of human well-being, relevant to current challenges of social fragmentation in the presence of globalization and technological advance. We present two indexes of well-being—solidarity (S) and agency (A)—to be considered alongside the standard indexes of material gain (G) and environmental sustainability (E). The four indexes—SAGE—form a balanced dashboard for evaluating well-being. The solidarity index covers the needs of humans as social creatures, living in societies that generate a sense of social belonging. The agency index involves people’s need to influence their fate through their own efforts. While “economic prosperity” (material gain) is conventionally measured through GDP per capita, “social prosperity” can be measured through our solidarity and agency indexes, alongside environmental sustainability that is measured through the Environmental Performance Index. The SAGE dashboard is meant to provide a “sage” approach to assessing well-being, since it aims to denote sagacity in the pursuit and satisfaction of fundamental human needs and purposes. Many of the prominent challenges of the 21st century, including the dissatisfaction of population groups who feel left behind by globalization and technological advance, may be viewed in terms of a “decoupling” of economic prosperity from social prosperity. We present a theoretical model that provides a new perspective on the welfare effects of globalization and automation. The dashboard is meant to provide an empirical basis for mobilizing action in government, business, and civil society to promote a recoupling of economic and social prosperity.

scholarly journals INFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimica Milošević ◽  
Aybeyan Selimi ◽  
Dušan Milošević
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Awareness Information ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

Information for the sustainable development in Macedonia is insufficient. It is important to meet human needs and the needs of its environment for the sustainable development but raising awareness is the necessary assumption. The sustainable development has multidisciplinary nature, a concept that includes the economy, ecology, ethics, sociology, law and policy and links the well-being of present and future generations with the capacity and limitations of biosphere in a way to make the life more sustainable. The aim of this paper is to examine all these aspects and impact on raising awareness of the need for the sustainable development. Through various forms of the surveys in public sector, the primary and secondary school, the faculty, in health care and factories, offer people the ability to move in wide initiatives for the sustainable development. Based on the results of the survey, which was conducted in the municipality of Gostivar in the Republic of Macedonia, using statistical analysis, appropriate conclusions and proposals were performed. Key words: awareness, information, sustainable development

Sustainability in Asian Countries: Perspectives from Economics

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-102
Author(s):  
Youngho Chang ◽  
Jiesheng Tan ◽  
Letian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Hartwick Rule ◽  
The Status ◽  
Environmental Sustainability Index ◽  
Selection Of

Studies on sustainable development rely on diverse and seemingly conflicting concepts that yield contrasting results. The root of these conflicting concepts is the lack of agreement on the path toward achieving sustainable development (SD), namely, weak (or economic) versus strong (or ecological) sustainability. This article revisits the Solow-Hartwick model (Solow 1974, 1986; Hartwick 1977, 1978a, 1978b), which suggests that an economy can achieve intergenerational equity by mandating the Hartwick rule of investing the amount of rents from natural capital into renewable capital. It constructs a modified Solow-Hartwick model in which the assumptions of constant population and no technological progress are relaxed and from which it derives a more general form of the Hartwick rule. The modified Solow-Hartwick investment rule presents how weak sustainability can be attained and explains how the residual Hotelling rents (or proceeds from natural resources) could be utilized in order to achieve strong sustainability. In this article, we apply the modified Solow-Hartwick investment rule to a selection of developing and developed Asian economies to assess their sustainability. We then compare our results with two existing measures of sustainability, the genuine savings (GS) model and the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), both of which frequently present contradicting evaluations on the status of sustainability.

scholarly journals Environmental Education in Environmental Engineering: Analysis of the Situation in Colombia and Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7239
Author(s):  
Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos ◽  
Araceli Queiruga-Dios ◽  
Ascensión Hernández Encinas ◽  
Libia Cristina Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
University Education ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
Development Goals

Environmental education (EE) has become the only tool for environmental sustainability in training processes in Colombia, for basic cycles in primary and secondary, as well as university education. EE tends to transform human actions in nature, based on multidisciplinary knowledge that supports decision-making. Its goal is to generate a change in social behavior in order to achieve the recovery, conservation, and preservation of the environment. In Colombia, education for sustainable development (ESD) is embedded in EE. These educational models (EE and ESD) seek to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), which generally seek the economic and social well-being of nations, both for current and future generations. Environmental engineering is a relatively new degree course in Colombia and Latin America since it appeared in the mid-nineties, and it must involve EE within its curriculum. Students are trained in this trend. This research intends to demonstrate, through a curricular review of the environmental engineering curricula and also surveying students from this degree, the level of inclusion of EE in Latin America. Strengths are identified in the curricula, such as the strong presence of EE in disciplinary subjects and opportunities for improvement based on the needs of the students. The situation in South America is also included in this study.

Unlocking the social domain in sustainable development

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Thiel
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Domain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Academic Search ◽  
Untapped Resource

Purpose – Beginning with a multitude of differing definitions and theories of CSR and sustainability, an analysis of the effects and impacts of the social domain to remain an untapped resource to strengthen and merge the practice of sustainable development. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing a systematic review of literature between 1977 and 2013 about CSR and sustainability definitions and theories to reveal knowledge fragmentation in the use of the social domain and its implications within sustainable development. Findings – Identifies the gaps of the social domain in sustainable development and raises awareness to advance sustainable development beyond current sustainable development strategies, initiatives and practices. The pertinent publications from the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the systematic literature review were analyzed to determine how the social domain is used and interpreted in CSR and sustainability. Based upon the findings, four themes represent the social domain as socio-economics, stakeholders, societal well-being and social sustainability with suggestions for further research. Research limitations/implications – The systematic literature review searched one academic search engine and focussed on journals and books written in English. Originality/value – The contribution of the paper highlights, first, how an underdeveloped social domain can contribute toward multiple meanings of sustainable development and the social domain’s untapped capacity to develop a clearer standard definition of sustainable development and second, the potential to advance competitive advantage for corporations and governments.

Environmental Degradation, Sustainable Development and Human Well-being: Evidence from India

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barun Kumar Thakur ◽  
Himanshu Sekhar Rout ◽  
Tamali Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Water Contamination ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Millennium Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Water Borne

Environmental problems are multidisciplinary in nature. Some problems are global and regional while some are local. This paper is an attempt to study the local environmental problems in India and establish their linkage with environmental degradation and human well-being. It also lists India's major environmental problems and suggests changes in policies for sustainable development in India. The paper particularly focuses on water and water contamination related water-borne diseases which affect human well-being and other health aspects. Due to such hindrances, India is finding it hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of environmental sustainability.

The application of sustainability concepts to Australian agriculture: an overview

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Stoneham ◽  
M. Eigenraam ◽  
A. Ridley ◽  
N. Barr
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Basic Standards

This paper reviews the concepts of sustainable development in an economic, environmental and social context. Weak and strong versions of sustainable development are reviewed and applied to the agricultural sector. The paper demonstrates that despite any degradation of the natural resource base, the agricultural sector is more productive now than in the past. This has occurred because the rate of investment in research and development (resulting in increased reproducible capital) has more than offset the rate of degradation in the natural capital stock. Science, it is argued, is part of the economic system that allocates productive capacity between current and future generations. Increases in expenditure on agricultural R&D since the 1950s have ensured that past generations have transferred productive capacity to future generations. With respect to the environment, the authors argue that a strong version of sustainable development may be appropriate, particularly where there are uncertain and irreversible outcomes. Finally, it has been observed that a hybrid version of social sustainability has been adopted in Australia. While resource mobility in the agricultural sector has been generally encouraged (weak sustainability) this has been underpinned by a welfare system that ensures basic standards of well-being and opportunity (strong sustainability).

scholarly journals Education for Sustainable Development as Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: A Literature Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Lou E. Neri
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Keywords Education

The World Health Organization (2003) stated that there is growing evidence that changes in the global climate will have profound effects on the well-being of citizens in countries throughout the world. The “business as usual” frame of mind in dealing with this phenomenon is no longer feasible. Rather, there is a great need for a “sense of urgency” to empower and actively involve every individual to adapt and to mitigate the worsening of climate change. A great number of studies show that the leadership of the educational system in developed countries for more than 2 decades has been successful in promoting environmental sustainability. Some of these studies are reviewed and documented in this paper so that vulnerable countries may learn and benchmark from their experiences. Keywords - Education, sustainable development, climate change

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