IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v22y2020i7d10.1007_s10668-019-00489-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Differentiating countries based on the sustainable development proximities using the SDG indicators

Author

Listed:
  • Mehdi Jabbari

    (University of Tehran)

  • Majid Shafiepour Motlagh

    (University of Tehran)

  • Khosro Ashrafi

    (University of Tehran)

  • Ghahreman Abdoli

    (University of Tehran)

Abstract

For the years of 2017 and 2018, the Sustainable Development Goals index (SDG index) includes around 80 global indicators for more than 150 parties (countries) to the United Nations, which makes it a very comprehensive multidimensional composite index for assessing their sustainable development (SD) achievement rates. As would be observed in the present study, when the comparison between countries on their progresses in well-being and economy is desirable, gathering indicators of both environmental and development pillars of the SD as performed in the SDG index construction can be misleading. Based on the SDG index and with the aim of better monitoring and assessing countries’ SD levels, the current study introduces a composite index called DEVI which merely consists of the “development goals indicators.” The DEVI showed a high correlation with the human development index. The lack of separation between the developed and developing countries in the SDGs is a disadvantage especially when various interactions with different countries are considered according to their different development levels. In this regard, by innovating a combined statistics-based algorithm, compatible with the available conventional lists for developed countries, countries are classified based on the similarities in their DEVI scores into the developed and developing countries. Applying this algorithm, it determined 43 and 40 countries as developed countries in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehdi Jabbari & Majid Shafiepour Motlagh & Khosro Ashrafi & Ghahreman Abdoli, 2020. "Differentiating countries based on the sustainable development proximities using the SDG indicators," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(7), pages 6405-6423, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:22:y:2020:i:7:d:10.1007_s10668-019-00489-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-019-00489-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-019-00489-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-019-00489-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kobi Abayomi & Gonzalo Pizarro, 2013. "Monitoring Human Development Goals: A Straightforward (Bayesian) Methodology for Cross-National Indices," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(2), pages 489-515, January.
    2. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    3. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David, 1982. "Ratio-Scale and Translation-Scale Full Interpersonal Comparability without Domain Restrictions: Admissible Social-Evaluation Functions," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 23(2), pages 249-268, June.
    4. Michela Nardo & Michaela Saisana & Andrea Saltelli & Stefano Tarantola & Anders Hoffman & Enrico Giovannini, 2005. "Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide," OECD Statistics Working Papers 2005/3, OECD Publishing.
    5. James Konow, 2003. "Which Is the Fairest One of All? A Positive Analysis of Justice Theories," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 1188-1239, December.
    6. Ravallion, Martin, 2012. "Troubling tradeoffs in the Human Development Index," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 201-209.
    7. Bill Hopwood & Mary Mellor & Geoff O'Brien, 2005. "Sustainable development: mapping different approaches," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 38-52.
    8. Milorad Kovacevic & Clara García Aguña, 2010. "Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis of the Human Development Index," Human Development Research Papers (2009 to present) HDRP-2010-47, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    9. Sudhir Anand and Amartya Sen, 1994. "Human development Index: Methodology and Measurement," Human Development Occasional Papers (1992-2007) HDOCPA-1994-02, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    10. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    11. Svatava Janoušková & Tomáš Hák & Bedřich Moldan, 2018. "Global SDGs Assessments: Helping or Confusing Indicators?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    12. Morse, Stephen, 2003. "For better or for worse, till the human development index do us part?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 281-296, June.
    13. Qiu, Qihua & Sung, Jaesang & Davis, Will & Tchernis, Rusty, 2018. "Using spatial factor analysis to measure human development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 130-149.
    14. Frederik Booysen, 2002. "An Overview and Evaluation of Composite Indices of Development," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 115-151, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michael P. Vale, 2022. "Contextualizing Poverty along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) 3, 6 and 9 as non-income indicators in Ocampo, Camarines Sur Philippines: Evidences from CBMS 2019," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(8), pages 249-259, August.
    2. Dongsheng Wei & Bing Liu & Zhugeng Duan & Wentao Yang, 2022. "Measuring local progress of the 2030 Agenda for SDGs in the Yangtze River Economic Zone, China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 7178-7194, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stephen Morse, 2013. "Bottom Rail on Top: The Shifting Sands of Sustainable Development Indicators as Tools to Assess Progress," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(6), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Qiu, Qihua & Sung, Jaesang & Davis, Will & Tchernis, Rusty, 2018. "Using spatial factor analysis to measure human development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 130-149.
    3. Lee Stapleton & Guy Garrod, 2007. "Keeping things simple: why the Human Development Index should not diverge from its equal weights assumption," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 84(2), pages 179-188, November.
    4. Chiara Mio & Silvia Panfilo & Benedetta Blundo, 2020. "Sustainable development goals and the strategic role of business: A systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3220-3245, December.
    5. Krystyna Kurowska & Renata Marks-Bielska & Stanisław Bielski & Audrius Aleknavičius & Cezary Kowalczyk, 2020. "Geographic Information Systems and the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    6. Katharina Spraul & Julia Thaler, 2020. "Partnering for good? An analysis of how to achieve sustainability-related outcomes in public–private partnerships," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 13(2), pages 485-511, July.
    7. Mikuła, Aneta, 2020. "Level Of Sustainable Development Of Counties In Poland," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2020(1).
    8. Diogo Ferraz & Enzo B. Mariano & Daisy Rebelatto & Dominik Hartmann, 2020. "Linking Human Development and the Financial Responsibility of Regions: Combined Index Proposals Using Methods from Data Envelopment Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 439-478, July.
    9. Hametner, Markus & Kostetckaia, Mariia, 2020. "Frontrunners and laggards: How fast are the EU member states progressing towards the sustainable development goals?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    10. Stephen Morse, 2020. "To Rank or Not to Rank with Indices? That Is the Question," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-20, July.
    11. Morse, Stephen, 2006. "Making development simple. The genetic deterministic hypothesis for economic development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 79-88, January.
    12. Ludovico Carrino, 2015. "The weighting role of normalisation in a multidimensional analysis of Social Inclusion," Working Papers 2015:32, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    13. Rosanna Cataldo & Corrado Crocetta & Maria Gabriella Grassia & Natale Carlo Lauro & Marina Marino & Viktoriya Voytsekhovska, 2021. "Methodological PLS-PM Framework for SDGs System," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 701-723, August.
    14. Brennan Lowery & John Dagevos & Ratana Chuenpagdee & Kelly Vodden, 2020. "Storytelling for sustainable development in rural communities: An alternative approach," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 1813-1826, November.
    15. Ibrahim Ari & Muammer Koc, 2018. "Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development: Understanding the Interrelations between Public Investment and Sovereign Debt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.
    16. Christoph Dörffel & Sebastian Schuhmann, 2020. "What is Inclusive Development? Introducing the Multidimensional Inclusiveness Index," Jena Economics Research Papers 2020-015, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    17. Ángeles Sánchez-Domínguez & Maria J. Ruiz Martos, 2013. "Europe 2020 strategy: a strategy for which type of growth?," ThE Papers 13/11, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    18. Ingrid Boas & Frank Biermann & Norichika Kanie, 2016. "Cross-sectoral strategies in global sustainability governance: towards a nexus approach," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 449-464, June.
    19. Rémi Yin & Anthony Lepinteur & Andrew E Clark & Conchita d'Ambrosio, 2021. "Life Satisfaction and the Human Development Index Across the World," Working Papers halshs-03174513, HAL.
    20. Wilson, Christopher & van der Velden, Maja, 2022. "Sustainable AI: An integrated model to guide public sector decision-making," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:22:y:2020:i:7:d:10.1007_s10668-019-00489-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.