EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICES OF COUNTRIES: GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY MAP

Year 2024, Volume: 22 Issue: 1, 171 - 199, 28.03.2024

Ayça Özekin , Fadime Çelik

Abstract

This study disaggregates the selected 14 Sustainable Development Goal Indices into the three main dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals: environmental, social, and economic, and aims to reveal the similarities and differences among countries in terms of their sustainable development performance. To achieve this aim, the indices determined for each dimension were separated into their components by Principal Component Analysis to eliminate any correlations resulting from the interdependence among sub-indicators. Subsequently, the countries under consideration were grouped into clusters using Hierarchical Clustering and K-means clustering algorithms. The results show that a single component can adequately represent the economic dimension, but two components are necessary to adequately represent the environmental and social dimensions. With the identification of five principal components, 86 countries were divided into four clusters through clustering analysis. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that the cluster comprising European countries exhibits the best performance in three out of the five principal components. Conversely, the cluster of countries with the lowest performance consists of economies with diverse structures. The results imply that each cluster is undergoing an achievement or difficulty in a specific aspect of sustainable development. By comprehending the strengths and weaknesses of each cluster group, this information can be used to effectively develop sustainable development strategies and policies that address economic growth, social welfare, and environmental protection in a balanced manner.

Keywords

Sustainable Development Indices, Cluster Analysis, K-means, Principal Component Analysis

ÜLKELERİN SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR KALKINMA ENDEKSLERİNİN KÜMELEME ANALİZİ İLE DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ: KÜRESEL SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİRLİK HARİTASI

Abstract

Bu çalışma, seçili 14 Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Hedefi Endeksini, Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Hedeflerinin çevresel, sosyal ve ekonomik olmak üzere üç temel boyutuna hitap edecek şekilde ayırarak, sürdürülebilir kalkınma performansları bakımından ülkeler arasındaki benzerlikleri ve farklılıkları ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaca yönelik olarak, her bir boyut için belirlenen endeksler, alt göstergeler arası bağlılıktan doğan korelasyonlarından arındırılmak adına Temel Bileşenler Analizi ile bileşenlerine ayrılmış, ardından ele alınan ülkeler hiyerarşik kümeleme ve k-means kümeleme algoritmaları ile kümelerine ayrılmıştır. Bulgular, ekonomik boyutun tek bir bileşenle temsil edilebileceğini, çevresel ve sosyal boyutların ise temsil için iki bileşen gerektirdiğini göstermektedir. Beş temel bileşenin belirlenmesiyle, 86 ülke kümeleme analizi yoluyla dört kümeye ayrılmıştır. Analizin sonuçları, Avrupa ülkelerinden oluşan kümenin beş temel bileşenden üçünde en iyi performansı sergilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Buna karşılık, en az olumlu performansa sahip ülkeler kümesi, farklı yapılara sahip ekonomilerden oluşmaktadır. Bu sonuç, bazı ülke kümelerinin sürdürülebilir kalkınmanın üç ana boyutunu da ele alan kapsamlı politikalar benimsediğini, diğerlerinin ise belirli alt boyutları hedefleyen politikalara odaklandığını göstermektedir.

Keywords

Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Endeksleri, Kümeleme Analizi, K-Ortalamalar, Temel Bileşenler Analizi

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