Sustainability-window based social, ecological and economic sustainability of a northern region

Abstract

A review of the scientific literature and other materials related to sustainable development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level shows that there is a need to take into account all aspects of sustainable development: environmental, social, economic. In this regard, monitoring and measuring the sustainability of the development of regional social, ecological and economic systems, the pace of change, determining the vector of development of the main components and their relationship are of high relevance. The analysis revealed the methodology of sustainable development window (SuWi) applied for an integral assessment of the social, ecological and economic sustainability of the northern region. This methodology takes into account the principles of sustainable development to the greatest extent. Methodology’s scope is to determine the parameters of minimum and maximum economic development, highlight the GDP_min – GDP_max interval (or a sustainability window), which helps economic development meet the criteria of social and environmental sustainability. The parameters of the window’s minimum level are determined by social criteria, while the window’s the maximum level – by environmental ones. The sustainability window scope is defined as follows: an analytical database (2007–2019) of the northern region (Komi Republic) is compiled in economic, social and environmental dimensions; assessment criteria (indicators) for the main components of sustainable development are reasoned; their index relative to the base year is assessed (in absolute value and intensity); the lower and upper limits of the stability window are defined by calculation and graphical methods, the window’s integral width is found taking into account all indicators. SuWi analysis of social sustainability showed that “wages” and “life expectancy at birth” out of the five indicators correspond to the minimum level of economic growth. At the same time, it should be noted that since 2017, economic performance decline has been a constraining factor for the region’s social development in terms of these indicators as well. The authors arrive at the conclusion that the situation in the development of the northern region is unfavorable, primarily in the social sphere due to the long-term decline in the gross regional product (which is below its baseline since 2014), which requires enhanced economic growth. The study gives valuable results in sustainability-window based social, ecological and economic sustainability analysis, which makes the study relevant. The methodology of the sustainable development window can be built into the management decisions system for the respective authorities. In the future, research should be focused on improving the economic stability of the region, conducting an in-depth analysis of the possibilities aimed to overcome the recession identified in this paper.

Keywords: sustainable development, sustainable development window methodology, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, region, Komi Republic

For citation

Fomina V.F. Sustainability-window based social, ecological and economic sustainability of a northern region. Perm University Herald. Economy, 2022, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 197–220. DOI 10.17072/1994-9960-2022-2-197-220

Acknowledgments

This study refers to a scientific research project “Sustainable Resource Management of a Northern Region: Factors and Models” (state registration number: 121021800128–8).

References

1. Alferova T.V. Stanovlenie kontseptsii ustoichivogo razvitiya: regional'nyi aspekt [Establishment of the concept of sustainable development: regional aspect]. Vestnik Permskogo natsional'nogo issledovatel'skogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta. Sotsial'no-ekonomicheskie nauki [PNRPU Sociology and economics Bulletin], 2021, no. 1, pp. 252−263. (In Russian). DOI: 15593/2224-9354/2021.1.19
2. Kuznetsova Yu.A. Etapy formirovaniya i razvitiya kontseptsii ustoichivogo razvitiya [Stages of formation and development of sustainable development concept]. Molodoi uchenyi [Young Scientist], 2013, no. 5 (52), pp. 337−339. (In Russian).
3. Lazhentsev V.N. Metodologicheskie podkhody k strategicheskomu planirovaniyu ustoichivogo razvitiya territorial'nykh khozyaistvennykh sistem [The methodological approaches to the strategic planning of sustainable development of the territorial economic systems]. Izvestiya Komi nauchnogo tsentra UrO RAN [Bulletin of Komi Scientific Center of RAS Ural Branch], 2013, iss. 1 (13), pp. 107−113. (In Russian).
4. Osipov V.I. Ustoichivoe razvitie. Ekologicheskii aspekt [Sustainable development: Environmental aspects]. Vestnik Rossiiskoi akademii nauk [Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences], 2019, vol. 89, no. 7, pp. 718−727. (In Russian). DOI: 31857/S0869-5873897718-727
5. Uskova T.V. Upravlenie ustoichivym razvitiem regiona [Region’s sustainable development management]. Vologda, ISERT RAN Publ., 2009. 355 p. (In Russian).
6. Korchagina E.V. Metody otsenki ustoichivogo razvitiya regional'nykh sotsial'no-ekonomicheskikh sistem [Sustainable development of regional socio-economic systems: Methods of evaluation]. Problemy sovremennoi ekonomiki [Problems of Modern Economics], 2012, no. 1 (41), pp. 67–71. (In Russian).
7. Frolov V.I., Agafonova E.O. Metodicheskie podkhody k razrabotke pokazatelei ustoichivogo razvitiya sel'skikh territorii [Methodological approaches to sustainable development indicators for rural areas]. Ekonomicheskoe vozrozhdenie Rossii [The Economic Revival of Russia], 2011, no. 4, pp. 76–89. (In Russian).
8. Klimenko A.V., Korolev V.A., Dvinskikh D.Yu., Rychkova N.A., Slastikhina I.Yu. Aktual'nye otsenki sostoyaniya sotsial'noi sfery Rossiiskoi Federatsii v zarubezhnykh istochnikakh: preprint. Seriya WP8 «Gosudarstvennoe i munitsipal'noe upravlenie» [Modern evaluation of social area of the Russian Federation in foreign sources: preprint. Series WP8 “State and Municipal Management”]. Moscow, Izd. dom Vysshei shkoly ekonomiki Publ., 2017. 44 p. (In Russian).
9. Sharafutdinov R.I., Izmailova D.O., Akhmetshin E.M. Issledovanie natsional'nykh klyuchevykh pokazatelei effektivnosti inklyuzivnogo rosta i razvitiya regionov Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Examination of the national key performance criteria of inclusive growth and regional development of the Russian Federation]. Teoreticheskaya i prikladnaya ekonomika [Theoretical and Applied Economics], 2018, no. 3, pp. 118–134. (In Russian). DOI: 25136/2409-8647.2018.3.27061
10. Wendling Z.A., Emerson J.W., Sherbinin A. de, Esty D.C. Environmental Performance Index 2020. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, 2021. 240 р. DOI: 13140/RG.2.2.21182.51529
11. Rozenberg G.S. Evropa i ee samaya krupnaya reka: sravnenie pokazatelei ustoichivogo razvitiya [Europe and its biggest river: comparison indicators of sustainable development]. Problemy regional'noi ekologii [Regional Environmental Issues], 2018, no. 6, pp. 46–50. (In Russian). DOI: 24411/1728-323X-2019-16046
12. Nesterova O.A., Pozharnitskaya O.V. Otsenka blagosostoyaniya s pozitsii ustoichivogo chelovecheskogo razvitiya: vozmozhnosti mezhdunarodnykh indeksov [Assessing well-being from the perspective of sustainable human development: the potential of international indices]. Voprosy innovatsionnoi ekonomiki [Issues of Innovative Economy], 2018, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 335–348. (In Russian). DOI: 18334/vinec.8.3.39338
13. Zabelina I.A., Parfenova K.V. Mekhanizmy uskorennogo ekonomicheskogo rosta regionov Dal'nego Vostoka [Development of the Far East regions: Mechanisms of accelerated economic growth]. Sotsium i vlast' [Society and Power], 2021, no. 1 (87), pp. 60−75. (In Russian). DOI: 22394/1996-0522-2021-1-60-75
14. Glazyrina I., Zabelina I., Faleychik A., Faleychik L. Primenenie imitatsionnogo modelirovaniya v otsenkakh urovnei sotsial'nogo blagopoluchiya vostochnykh regionov RF [Application of simulation modeling in assessing the levels of social wellbeing in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation]. Vestnik Zabaikal'skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Transbaikal State University Journal], 2020, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 125–136. (In Russian). DOI: 21209/2227-9245-2020-26-6-125-136
15. Fauzer V.V., Lytkina T.S., Smirnov A.V. Ustoichivoe razvitie severnykh regionov: demograficheskoe izmerenie [Sustainable development of the northern regions: Population dimension]. Ekonomika regiona [Economy of Regions], 2018, vol. 14, iss. 4, pp. 1370−1382. (In Russian). DOI: 17059/2018-4-24
16. Gorshkova L.A., Sanduljak S.B. Kompleksnaja sistema determinant strategii razvitija i ocenki ustojchivosti biznesa [Integrated system determinant of development strategy and assessment of business sustainability]. Nauchno-tehnicheskie vedomosti SPbGPU. Jekonomicheskie nauki [St Petersburg State Polytechnical University Journal], 2020, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 109–122. (In Russian). DOI: 18721/JE.13409
17. Sachenko L.A. Formirovanie «vstroennoj ustojchivosti» organizacij s ispol'zovaniem rasshirennoj sistemy indikatorov riska pri prinjatii strategicheskih reshenij [Implementing “sustainability-by-design” approach in organizations by using an extended risk indicators system for making strategic decisions]. Strategicheskie reshenija i risk-menedzhment [Strategic Decisions and Risk Management], 2020, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 402–411. (In Russian). DOI: 17747/2618-947X-2020-4-402-411
18. Glazyrina I.P., Zabelina I.A. Social'no-jekologicheskoe neravenstvo v Rossijskoj Federacii i problemy ego izmerenija [Socio-ecological inequality in the Russian Federation and problems of its measurement]. Zhurnal SFU. Gumanitarnye nauki [Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities and Social Sciences], 2021, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 1047–1062. (In Russian). DOI: 17516/1997-1370-0784
19. Alferova T.V. Ustojchivoe razvitie regiona: podhody k otboru pokazatelej ocenki [Sustainable development of the region: Approaches to selecting evaluation indicators]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Seriya «Ekonomika» [Perm University Herald. Economy], 2020, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 494−511. (In Russian). DOI: 17072/1994-9960-2020-4-494-511
20. Luukkanen J., Kaivo-oja J., Vehmas J., Panula-Ontto J., Hayha L. Dynamic Sustainability. Sustainability Window Analysis of Chinese Poverty-Environment Nexus Development. Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, iss. 11, pp. 14488–14500. DOI: 3390/su71114488
21. Saunders A., Luukkanen J. Sustainable development in Cuba assessed with sustainability window and doughnut economy approaches. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 2022, vol. 29, iss. 2, pp. 176–186. (In Russian). DOI: 1080/13504509.2021.1941391
22. Shkiperova G.T., Kurilo A.E. Otsenka ustoichivosti regional'nykh sotsio-ekologo-ekonomicheskikh sistem [Assessment of the sustainability of regional socio-ecological-economic systems]. Problemy rynochnoi ekonomiki [Market Economy Problems], 2021, no. 1, pp. 47−61. (In Russian). DOI: 33051/2500-2325-2021-1-47-61
23. Druzhinin P.V., Shkiperova G.T. Prognozirovanie ogranichenii ekonomicheskogo rosta severnykh regionov na osnove otsenki «okon ustoichivosti» [Forecasting the economic growth limitations in the northern regions based on the “sustainability windows” assessment]. Arktika i Sever [Arctic and North], 2021, no. 44, pp. 45–63. (In Russian). DOI: 37482/issn2221-2698.2021.44.45
24. Panula-Ontto J., Vehmas J., Luukkanen J., Kaivo-oja J. Assessing Sustainability of Economic Growth with “Sustainability Window”. Sustainable Futures in a Changing Climate: Proceedings of the Conference “Sustainable Futures in a Changing Climate”, 11−12 June 2014, Helsinki, Finland / A. Hatakka, Vehmas (Eds.). Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku, 2015. P. 395−403. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280941248_Assessing_Sustainability_of_Economic_Growth_with_Sustainability_Window (access date 21.02.2022).
25. Luukkanen J., Kaivo-oja J., Vahakari N., O’Mahony T., Korkeakoski M., Panula-Ontto J., Vehmas J., Nguyen Quoc Resource efficiency and green economic sustainability transition evaluation of green growth productivity gap and governance challenges in Cambodia. Sustainable Development, 2019, vol. 27, iss. 3, pp. 312–320. DOI: 1002/sd.1902
26. Luukkanen J., Kaivo-oja J., Vähäkari N., O’Mahony T., Korkeakoski M., Panula-Ontto J., Phonhalath K., Nanthavong K., Reincke K., Vehmas J., Hogarth N. Green economic development in Lao PDR: A sustainability window analysis of Green Growth Productivity and the Efficiency Gap. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2019, vol. 211, pp. 818−829. DOI: 1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.149
27. Bashmakova E.P., Gushchina I.A., Kondratovich D.L. [i dr.]. Sotsial'naya ustoichivost' regionov rossiiskogo Severa i Arktiki: otsenka i puti dostizheniya [Bashmakova E.P., Gushchina I.A., Kondratovich D.L. et al. Social sustainability of regions in the Russian North and Arctic: Assessment and ways to achieve]. Apatity, FITs KNTs RAN Publ., 2018. 169 p. (In Russian). DOI: 25702/KSC.978-5-91137-384-9
28. Barinova V.A., Zemtsov S.P. Inklyuzivnyi rost i ustoichivost' regionov Rossii [Inclusive growth and regional resilience in Russia]. Region: ekonomika i sotsiologiya [Region: Economics and Sociology], 2019, vol. 101, no. 1, pp. 23−46. (In Russian). DOI: 15372/REG20190102

Show full text