Methodology Of Measuring Sustainable Development Of The Region: Foreign And Domestic Practice

Abstract

Sustainable development of regional social and economic systems may be viewed on global, national and regional levels. Currently domestic and foreign scientists and people on the ground understand and accept that few general indicators are not sufficient for measuring welfare of a country and regions. The main reason is that these indicators do not cover various social processes, changes in the environment and some phenomena generalized as “sustainability”. The presence in the current regulatory documents of a large number of disparate indicators and methods for their determination makes it very difficult to objectively assess the degree of progress of the country and regions towards achieving sustainable development goals. Assessment of sustainable regional development requires elaboration and application of the integral indicator which generalizes traditional system of indicators and is supplemented by the indicators based on the sustainable development concept. The suggested Index of Adjusted Net Savings allows to quite fully assess progress of the region in sustainable development. For calculating the Index of Adjusted Net Savings (IANS) for the Russian regions, gross savings are adjusted for the following values: budget expenditure for human capital development (education, health, fitness and sports); depletion of natural resources; damage from environment pollution; environmental expenses; assessment of specially protected natural areas. At the same time the existing statistical base is not sufficient to define this indicator with objective certainty and accuracy on the regional level in the Russian Federation.