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Greening the United Nations' Human Development Index?

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  • Stephen Morse

    (University of Reading, UK)

Abstract

The Human Development Index (HDI) introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 has helped facilitate widespread debate amongst development researchers, practitioners and policy makers. The HDI is an aggregate index, calculated on an annual basis by the UNDP and published in its Human Development Reports, comprising measures of three components deemed by them to be central to development: (i) income (the gross domestic product per capita), (ii) education (adult literacy rate) and (iii) health (life expectancy at birth). The results of calculating the HDI are typically presented as country|regional league tables, and provide a quick means for policy makers and others to judge performance. Perhaps partly because of the relative simplicity of the index, the HDI has managed to achieve a level of acceptance and use amongst politicians and policy makers that has yet to emerge with any indicator of sustainability. Indeed, despite its existence for 11 years, including nine years after the Rio Earth Summit, the HDI has not even been modified to take on board wider issues of sustainability. This paper will critically examine the potential for 'greening' the HDI so as to include environmental and resource-consumption dimensions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Morse, 2003. "Greening the United Nations' Human Development Index?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(4), pages 183-198.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:11:y:2003:i:4:p:183-198
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.219
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    Cited by:

    1. Blancard, Stéphane & Hoarau, Jean-François, 2013. "A new sustainable human development indicator for small island developing states: A reappraisal from data envelopment analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 623-635.
    2. Cengiz Türe & Yiğit Türe, 2021. "A model for the sustainability assessment based on the human development index in districts of Megacity Istanbul (Turkey)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 3623-3637, March.
    3. 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.
    4. Assa, Jacob, 2021. "Less is more: The implicit sustainability content of the human development index," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    5. Hana Letkovičová, 2005. "Spatial distribution and relationship between sustainable development measures in EU countries [Priestorová distribúcia a vzťah medzi ukazovateľmi trvaloudržateľného rozvoja v krajinách EU]," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 53(3), pages 87-94.
    6. Pineda, Jose, 2012. "Sustainability and human development: a proposal for a sustainability adjusted HDI (SHDI)," MPRA Paper 39656, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Francesco Busato & Norma Maccari, 2016. "The Environmental Human Development Index," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(2), pages 31-44.
    8. Van Puyenbroeck, Tom & Rogge, Nicky, 2020. "Comparing regional human development using global frontier difference indices," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    9. Liu, Xinyu & Liu, Gengyuan & Yang, Zhifeng & Chen, Bin & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2016. "Comparing national environmental and economic performances through emergy sustainability indicators: Moving environmental ethics beyond anthropocentrism toward ecocentrism," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1532-1542.
    10. Wolff, Hendrik & Chong, Howard & Auffhammer, Maximilian, 2008. "Consequences of Data Error in Aggregate Indicators: Evidence from the Human Development Index," CUDARE Working Papers 6502, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    11. Adrian Boos & Karin Holm‐Müller, 2012. "A theoretical overview of the relationship between the resource curse and genuine savings as an indicator for “weak” sustainability," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(3), pages 145-159, August.
    12. Gengyuan Liu & Mark T. Brown & Marco Casazza, 2017. "Enhancing the Sustainability Narrative through a Deeper Understanding of Sustainable Development Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-19, June.
    13. Hickel, Jason, 2020. "The sustainable development index: Measuring the ecological efficiency of human development in the anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    14. Wolff, Hendrik & Chong, Howard & Auffhammer, Maximilian, 2008. "Consequences of Data Error in Aggregate Indicators: Evidence from the Human Development Index," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt18s0z7mj, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    15. Ajay Chhibber, 2021. "Measuring Human Development for the Anthropocene," Working Papers 2021-06, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    16. Wolff, Hendrik & Chong, Howard & Auffhammer, Maximilian, 2009. "Human Development Index: Are Developing Countries Misclassified? (former title: "Consequences of Data Error in Aggregate Indicators: Evidence from the Human Development Index)," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49763, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. J. Andres Dominguez & Teresa Noronha Vaz, 2011. "Contrasts in the governance structures in the transborder regions Andaluzia -Algarve," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1121, European Regional Science Association.
    18. Vincenzo Marinello & Chiara Di Puma, 2020. "The Human Development Index: a critical evaluation and a new proposal," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 74(2), pages 29-38, April-Jun.
    19. Hezri, Adnan A. & Dovers, Stephen R., 2006. "Sustainability indicators, policy and governance: Issues for ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 86-99, November.
    20. Comim, Flavio & Hirai, Tadashi, 2022. "Sustainability and Human Development Indicators: A Poset Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).

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