Block 9: Tracing the sustainable development of nations with integrated indicators Flashcards
human system
Subsystem of the societal system comprising individual development, the social system and government
natural system
Subsystem of the societal system comprising natural resources and the environment.
support system
Subsystem of the societal system comprising infrastructure and the economic system.
Corporate Social Responsibility
○ A form of corporate self-regulation that aims to embrace responsibility for the company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere.
Sustainability Index
○ An integrated indicator that aims to measure the level of sustainability of a nation, and consists of an Environmental Index, a Social Index and an Economic Index.
Environmental Index
○ An indicator that aims to measure the environmental performance of a nation and that is based on
§ (1) the per capita fossil energy use as an indicator for overall emissions of pollutants,
§ (2) the carbon dioxide emission per dollar of GDP as a measure for the eco-efficiency of the economy and
§ (3) the maximum content of lead in gasoline as an indicator for the legislative power of the environmental authorities and for urban pollution.
Economic Index
○ An indicator that aims to measure the economic performance of a nation and that is based on
§ (1) the percentage labor force in services,
§ (2) the number of cars per 1,000 population,
§ (3) the number of main telephone lines per 100 population
§ (4) the value of produced assets per capita.
Social Index
○ An indicator that aims to measure the level of socialization of a nation and that is based on
§ (1) life expectancy,
§ (2) percentage urban population connected to a sewer,
§ (3) the number of murders per 100,000 population in the urban environment,
§ (4) the social security benefits expenditure and
§ (5) the combined first, second an third level enrollment ratio, indicating the level of education.
leapfrogging
○ Making progress by large jumps instead of small increments.
See notes for rest of the chapter
The list is a hierarchy of human needs: a higher need (e.g. self-actualisation) can only be fulfilled if the lower needs (i.e., survival, safety, social belonging and self-esteem) have been satisfied.
Maslow (1970) identified 5 important human needs: survival, safety,
social belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation. What is the
relationship between these needs according to Maslow?
This is a matter of personal opinion. However, it is interesting to note that Zoeteman provides neither a rationale nor empirical evidence for his putative relationship between the ‘levels of consciousness’ and
the ‘attitudes towards the surroundings’. Zoeteman presupposes that ‘local consciousness/awareness’ is a bad thing (he associates it with war, feelings of aggressiveness, narrow-mindedness, short-term thinking and destruction). He relates ‘planetary consciousness/awareness’ with positive factors like trust and creative enthusiasm. The empirical basis
for this relationship is lacking and one may seriously question whether there is such a relationship.
Write down your own opinion about the ‘metaphor of war and peace’
for the attitude with which we approach our surroundings, as given by
Zoeteman in Section 28.2.
This is a matter of personal opinion.
However, it is interesting to note that Zoeteman provides neither a rationale nor empirical evidence for his putative relationship between the ‘levels of consciousness’ and the ‘attitudes towards the surroundings’.
Zoeteman presupposes that ‘local consciousness/awareness’ is a bad thing (he associates it with war, feelings of aggressiveness, narrow-mindedness, short-term thinking and destruction).
He relates ‘planetary consciousness/awareness’ with positive factors like trust and creative enthusiasm. The empirical basis for this relationship is lacking and one may seriously question whether there is such a relationship.
What is the consequence of expressing the available natural capital on a
per capita basis (see Table 28.3)?
The consequence is that densely populated countries like the
Netherlands will have a lower score for this indicator than less densely
populated countries like Canada, Brazil or Sweden. This can be seen in
Table 28.7 in the Resource Index column.
Do you agree with the assumption that the sustainability level of a
nation increases if a larger part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
spent on social security benefits (see Table 28.3)?
This is debatable. The fact that a nation cares for its inhabitants can
be considered a positive factor within the framework of sustainability.
However, it can be argued that if too much money is spent on social
security benefits, this may threaten the economic competitiveness of a
nation and subsequently also the level of sustainability.
Why do countries like Indonesia and Sierra leone have a higher
Environmental Index than countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia, while
their sustainability level is lower (see Figure 28.1)?
Indonesia and Sierra leone have a lower sustainability level because their economy is poorly developed. It is a generally observed pattern that nations that start stimulating their economy are first confronted
with an increase in environmental pressure (i.e. a decrease of the Environmental Index) before they become aware of the environmental problems and have the (economic) resources to take adequate measures.
