Peculiarities of the Relation between Human and Environmental Wellbeing in Different Stages of National Development

Simona-Roxana Ulman, Costica Mihai and Cristina Cautisanu
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Simona-Roxana Ulman: CERNESIM Environmental Research Center, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Costica Mihai: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Cristina Cautisanu: CERNESIM Environmental Research Center, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-26

Abstract: The literature formed around the concept of sustainable development emphasizes that its achievement depends on how its dimensions evolve. Considering that the economic dimension is not an end in itself, but a means for achieving the other two dimensions, we concentrated on the relation between environment and society. Using the framework of Sustainable Society Index, we applied path analysis for identifying the effects of human wellbeing components on environmental wellbeing for 71 countries around the world in 2016. The countries were grouped into two groups—factor-driven and innovation-driven economies—according to Global Competitiveness Report. The main results revealed that once the society develops, the pressure upon the environment tends to move from the necessity of offering the basic human needs to the one regarding superior societal needs. While the least developed nations have to pay attention especially to population growth, safe sanitation and health as primary channels of better protecting the environment, in the case of the most developed countries, the main directions of environmental improvement may be education and good governance. Thus, a high environmental concern has to be cultivated in the development process, whichever its stage, but with distinct directions of action, as shown by this study.

Keywords: environmental wellbeing; human wellbeing; stages of development; path analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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