Measuring sustainable development in the era of globalisation: can it be done and what way ahead?
by Andrew Sumner
World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (WRSTSD), Vol. 1, No. 2, 2004

Abstract: Can ''sustainable development'' be measured? This question is discussed through providing a review and stock-take of debates on the measurement of sustainable development, drawing on parallels with the evolution of poverty measurement. Taking a narrow, purely environmental, definition of sustainable development, green indicators are categorised and assessed. The paper argues that: existing measures are limited by the lack of a workable definition of sustainable development to provide a conceptual ''launch-pad''; within the current globalisation era, measures are either biased for or against the current outward-orientated liberalisation-led economic growth development model – what is or is not sustainable is then an artefact of methodology; and current attempts at measuring sustainable development have been ''red herrings'', as they are unbounded and static conceptualisations. Rather, future research should be concerned with a more bounded, dynamic analysis and with the transposition onto the environment of a poverty concept – the poverty elasticity of growth – in a green elasticity of growth.

Online publication date: Tue, 12-Oct-2004

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (WRSTSD):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com