Publication:
Measuring Social Sustainability: A Multidimensional Approach

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dc.contributor.authorBallon, Paola
dc.contributor.authorCuesta, Jose
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-22T19:10:47Z
dc.date.available2024-08-22T19:10:47Z
dc.date.issued2024-08-22
dc.description.abstractWhile the concept of social sustainability is growing in salience, there is little consensus on how to measure it. This lack of an accepted measure makes it harder to monitor progress toward sustainable development goals, honor political commitments to leave no one behind, and design effective social development and protection programs. This study proposes an original measure of social sustainability and its associated fragilities in the form of multidimensional social gaps. The measure is anchored conceptually in the new social sustainability in development framework and applied empirically using a counting approach. The study calls this metric the Social Sustainability Index. It was piloted in Peru and South Africa, country contexts with low levels of trust, deep social tensions, and stark inequality. The measure comprises four dimensions—inclusion, resilience, social cohesion, and process legitimacy—measured by 16 indicators. The study finds that roughly two-thirds of the population in Peru and South Africa experience overlapping social gaps in the space of social sustainability. On average, these populations exhibit intensity rates of 47 and 53 percent, respectively, equivalent to experiencing multiple social gaps in seven and eight indicators. Women and ethnic minorities are disproportionally fragile. Weak process legitimacy is the main driver of multidimensional social gaps in both countries. In South Africa, low satisfaction with the way corruption is fought and deficits in government effectiveness are the principal indicators driving multidimensional social gaps. In Peru, inequality before the law and deficits in government effectiveness are the two indicators contributing the most to overall gaps in social sustainability. These findings call for strategies to boost accountability and inclusion beyond access to markets, services, and social benefits.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099310408202426397/IDU134e94c5a1fb0b14f331a6bf1750a6f5d4fe8
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-10875
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/42076
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper; 10875
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectSOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
dc.subjectMULTIDIMENSIONAL SOCIAL GAPS
dc.subjectINTERSECTIONALITY
dc.subjectCOUNTING APPROACH
dc.subjectPERU
dc.subjectSOUTH AFRICA
dc.subjectINEQUALITY
dc.subjectREDUCED INEQUALITIES
dc.subjectSDG 10
dc.subjectSUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
dc.subjectSDG 11
dc.titleMeasuring Social Sustainabilityen
dc.title.subtitleA Multidimensional Approachen
dc.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleMeasuring Social Sustainability: A Multidimensional Approach
okr.date.disclosure2024-08-20
okr.date.lastmodified2024-08-20T00:00:00Zen
okr.doctypePolicy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099310408202426397/IDU134e94c5a1fb0b14f331a6bf1750a6f5d4fe8
okr.guid099310408202426397
okr.identifier.docmidIDU-34e94c5a-fb0b-4f33-a6bf-750a6f5d4fe8
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-10875
okr.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-10875
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum34379448
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum34379448
okr.identifier.reportWPS10875
okr.import.id5136
okr.importedtrueen
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099310408202426397/pdf/IDU134e94c5a1fb0b14f331a6bf1750a6f5d4fe8.pdfen
okr.region.geographicalWorld
okr.topicSocial Development::Social Cohesion
okr.topicSocial Development::Social Inclusion & Institutions
okr.topicPoverty Reduction::Inequality
okr.unitSocial PM (SSIGL)
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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