Creating a sustainable national index for social, environmental and economic productivity

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create a social, environmental and economic (SEE) index for countries. Design/methodology/approach The methodology in the OECD handbook on building composite indicators is followed. The data are taken from UN data sources. Findings An index is created that describes each of 194 countries. The countries were clustered in three groups, i.e. high, medium and low performing. The country positions matched intuitively those expected. A more focused grouping of the 35 most populous countries was examined. The method was felt to be rigorous and successful in creating an informative measure of SEE. Research implications/limitations Future research could include identifying factors that determine a country's SEE productivity. A similar index could be envisaged at more local level. Practical implications The SEE index offers a standard method for benchmarking the SEE productivity of countries, regions and the globe. Social implications It is hoped that this research could have an important contribution to make in enabling society, government, business and policy makers to focus their discussions and actions on areas that will lead to substantial environmental improvement and improved quality of life. Originality/value A SEE index is created using a rigorous methodology. The authors believe this to be a unique and valuable contribution.